Partners in Crime
by Michele-bell
Summary: Roxas is on the run from the law and Axel offers to help him by letting him hide out at his place...but why? Soon both of them find themselves in situations they would never have dreamed of! AU. AkuRoku. Discontinued D:
1. You're in Pretty Deep Shit

**Edit 7/23/08: **Okay. There's a lot of things in this fic that needs work, a lot that I don't like. It's currently on hiatus until I figure out what to do with it. Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews it. But if you just clicked on this now, just be aware that this is still a WIP and going nowhere fast.

**About: **Roxas finds himself on the run from the law and Axel offers to help him by letting him hide out at his place...but why? Soon both of them find themselves in situations they would never have dreamed of! AU.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters.

**Warning: **Language (swearing) and yaoi (boy on boy)

**Opening note: **Well, this is my first story on fanfiction and I hope it all goes well.

This story takes place in "the next life", if you will. And all of the characters are pretty much more badass than Disney makes them.

Please review so I know to continue on with the series and am inspired to make it even better!

**Partners in Crime**

**Chapter One: You're in Pretty Deep Shit **

* * *

Axel leaned against the brick wall with one leg bent. His arms were crossed and smoke was coiling off of the cigarette that was hanging lazily from his mouth. He didn't even need to look up from the ground to know who was running by.

"Going somewhere, kid?"

The blonde froze, halting his panicked run, breathing heavily.

Axel pushed himself off the wall and took a drag on his cigarette. He was wearing a black trench coat, ripped jeans and combat boots. He smirked at the young teen in front of him.

"Thought you were free in the clear, huh? I saw what you did." He said smoothly.

"What are you gonna do about it?" The blonde threatened, his heart racing.

Axel laughed softly and flicked his cigarette to the ground, the light of it faded and was quickly consumed by the night's darkness. He approached the boy, who quickly pulled out a switchblade on him.

"Don't move any closer."

Axel obeyed.

"What do you want?" the blonde asked coldly. "Gonna call the police?"

Again Axel laughed. "No, kid. I wanna help you."

"Help me?" the boy glared at him. He was getting prepared to run any second, he couldn't waste time anymore.

"Yeah," Axel said. "I'm guessing you can't go home, considering what you did."

It wasn't a question, but the kid nodded. He was in a black hoodie, which was covering his head, making his face hard to see in the dark.

"I'm offering you a place to stay, as long as I get something out of it." Axel said.

"How do I know I can trust you?" His blue eyes darted around. He was starting to get really nervous now. They could be catching up.

"You don't." Axel says bluntly. "But, you could hurry your ass up and get in my car, or wait for them to find you running down the street. Your choice."

The teen finally looked up into the stranger's face. Axel's green eyes were staring straight into his, a smirk on his face.

"Where's your car?" he asked simply.

Axel's grin widened and began to walk away from the boy. The boy followed.

"What's your name, kid?" Axel asked.

"Roxas."

"Axel."

And with that they slipped quickly into the red-head's crimson camaro.

* * *

After a silent ride, the camaro pulled into a small apartment complex. Roxas followed Axel up the steps of the building and watched him as he unlocked the door to his apartment. Roxas could only wonder what Axel's intentions for helping him were.

Almost immediately Axel walked over to his balcony and slide the glass doors open. He lit a cigarette and leaned against the opening to the outside.

Roxas stood awkwardly at the doorway. The apartment was pretty plain, except for the garbage, empty alcohol bottles, and cigarette cartons lying all over the place. There was a TV with video games piled sloppily around it, a couch, and chair, both red. There was also a little kitchen area. It looked like there were three other rooms as well. Overall, it seemed too nice of an apartment for a guy like Axel, Roxas judged, wondering where he got all the money.

Axel turned his head, glancing sideways at the boy. "Spare room's over there." He inclined with his head.

Roxas didn't have anything with him, so he only walked over and glanced into the room. Then he sat down stiffly into the chair by the opening to the balcony.

Silence.

After Axel was done with his cigarette he closed the glass doors and slid blinds over them.

He walked over and turned on the TV. The news was on, the reporter was saying, "…An unidentified teen boy stabbed and killed Seifer Almasy at an underground club at around midnight tonight. Witnesses did not know who the boy was but said there was there was a heated argument between the two of them until the fight turned physical-"

"Turn that off." Roxas snapped.

Axel looked over at him and flicked the power off with the remote.

"…So you were there?" Roxas asked looking at the ground.

"Yeah," Axel said. "I like to go there to gamble." _Ah,_ Roxas thought, _must be where he gets the money. _

"Saw the whole thing. You're in pretty deep shit."

Roxas said nothing but took his hood down, since the windows were now covered.

Finally, Axel got a good look at the kid. He felt his heart rate quicken at the sight of him...the boy's hair was messy and he had a baby face with piercing blue eyes. Axel felt a strange feeling as he looked at Roxas, then looked away, trying to shake the feeling off. _Good lookin kid, _he thought, _though you wouldn't think he'd kill someone._

"Are you even old enough to get in there?" Axel questioned.

Roxas glared at him. "Yeah, I'm eighteen."

Axel stood and took off his trench coat and removed the shirt underneath. Roxas stared, then looked away, embarrassed. Though he wasn't quite sure why, Axel hadn't seen him gazing at him. Maybe it was the fact that Roxas found himself strangely attracted to this man.

"I'm going to bed," Axel stated, tossing his clothes aside, turning towards his room. "Bathroom's over there." He said pointing to the last unidentified room.

"Wait!"

Axel turned towards the teen, questioningly.

"Um…why did you want to help me? Why?" Roxas couldn't stand the awkwardness anymore.

Axel just smiled mysteriously and said, "We'll discuss that in the morning. 'Night."

Roxas watched Axel enter his room until the door was closed behind him. Roxas decided to do the same, and flopped on the bed in the other room. His heart was racing. _Shit, what have I done…_he thought. What had he gotten himself into? And could he trust Axel? His heart wouldn't stop racing since he had first started running... He cursed silently to himself and shifted positions in the bed. He was still shaking slightly in fear, the adrenaline pumping through him. Roxas tossed and turned for what felt like hours before he finally fell asleep.

* * *

**End note:** Sorry this is so short. It's more of an introduction chapter, really. The next chapters are definitely longer!

3/17/08: I would love for people to give me advice on how to make this chapter better (preferably longer, I want more detail but I don't really quite know how to put it in there). Please drop me a review if you have any ideas.


	2. Do as You're Told

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters, they belong to Disney and Square Enix, lucky bastards.

**Opening Note: **I was seriously afraid that no one was going to read my story at all. I'm so glad there are still awesome AkuRoku fans out there willing to read my fanfic! Thank you guys so much for the awesome reviews already! So I stayed up will 4:30 in the morning working on this and the third chapter, but I didn't want to post them until I had gotten some rest and was able to proof read them. But here you go, an update in less than 24 hours :) And it's longer, yay!

**Partners in Crime**

**Chapter One: Do as You're Told **

* * *

The next day Roxas awoke in a cold sweat. He could hear rock music playing, but it wasn't loud enough to be what had woken him up. It was the smell…bacon…making his mouth water. Roxas rose from the bed and pushed the door open. He saw Axel in the tiny kitchen cooking away. The smell was intoxicating. Roxas slumped into the nearest chair at the tiny table which barely fit inside the kitchen's proximities. Axel turned and looked surprised to see Roxas there.

"Whoa," he said, "didn't know you were up." He turned and grabbed plates and utensils from a cupboard and handed Roxas a plate. As soon as he shoved bacon onto it Roxas began devouring it quickly.

"Rough night?" Axel asked, taking his time with the food.

Roxas only glared at him, shoving bacon in his mouth faster than he could chew.

"If you decide to stay here, Roxas, let me just tell you that I'm used to only cooking for myself. You're not going to be getting a three course meal. So pretty much expect cereal or bacon in the morning, mac-n-cheese for lunch, and whatever the fucks lying around for dinner."

Roxas swallowed and said, "I couldn't care less. Food's food…but this bacon is amazing."

Axel only smiled and shrugged, "It's not like it's hard to make."

"So…why'd you wanna help me?"

"Wanna know that bad, huh? Well, you see Roxas. You got lucky. But you were on the run from the law, just barely escaped, and _needed _help. And me, I've been needing a little help myself. I need someone around to clean up after me, run some errands for me…basically do for me whatever the fuck I'm too lazy to do. But I don't want to pay them. So you can stay here and hide out as long as you do as you're told."

Roxas couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Do as you're told"? Basically this guy wanted to make Roxas his maid, after Roxas had just committed a murder. He thought Axel would let him spend one night at his house and then hit him up for money in exchange he doesn't call 911 on Roxas's sorry ass. Something simple like that was to be expected. But not this.

Then again…Roxas really couldn't go back home…he couldn't face his parents after what he'd done…he just couldn't. He fucked up his life, and there was no turning back. He really did need somewhere to stay and he could stay here for free, for now anyway. All he would have to do is vacuum a bit, how hard could it be?

"…Deal." Roxas said, extending a hand greasy from the bacon. Axel took it. His hand felt warm and Roxas felt really comfortable holding it. He actually felt his face grow hot, so he shook it quickly and returned back to his bacon.

"Alright!" Axel clapped, making Roxas jump. "First you can start by picking up the living room. Then you can vacuum, thing's in the closet in your room. Then you can wash the windows, dishes, and dust this filthy place. Oh, and clean the bathroom, don't forget the toilet. I gotta head to work."

He rose, and Roxas saw his clothes. All he was wearing was a dirty white tee-shirt and cargo pants.

"Where do you work?" Roxas figured it wouldn't happen to be anywhere fancy.

"Waste plant," Axel shrugged, a slight look of disgust on his face when he said this. "Works out though, because I'm the one who gets to burn stuff." He smiled at Roxas with pleasure on his face. "I get paid to do one of my favorite hobbies."

_Yeah, he definitely gets his money from the gambling, _Roxas concluded.

Axel walked past Roxas and picked up his trench coat off the floor.

"Oh, you can borrow some of my clothes from my room since you don't really have any. I'll be back at 6, and everything I asked you to do better be done by the time I get back. I hope you got that list memorized." And he walked out the door, twirling his keys on his finger.

Roxas couldn't believe this, already he had a ton more chores to do than he ever had at home. Maybe he would have to rethink this deal…he glanced over at the clock on the microwave. It was almost 11, which is when he figured Axel had to be at work. So he had 7 hours to do that shit.

6 and a half hours and 3 bottles of Mr. Clean, 1 bottle of windex, a lunch consisting of dry cereal, and the whole package of swifer dusters later, he was done with the bathroom, the shower had been an absolute disgrace and he gagged wile cleaning the toilet, he couldn't even count how many bags of garbage he's somehow managed to fill, and now the cupboards were filled with dishes, but everything was done. He sighed; he really didn't think it would take him that long. Maybe if he stayed home instead of going out drinking with his pals, skateboarding, or fighting in the streets he would have learned how to do this stuff quicker. And it didn't help that all he could think about was what had happened the night before…

_I should probably pick out some clean clothes and take a shower…_

Roxas went into Axel's room expecting it to be a mess like the rest of the house, Axel hadn't mentioned to clean it so Roxas hadn't bothered to enter before. But the room was surprisingly well kept up. It was quite obvious that Axel's favorite color was red and his favorite element was fire. His bedspread was decorated with flames, as was a laptop (_damn this guy was good at gambling_) on his desk. Almost everything in the room was red except for the wooden furniture, which surprisingly had no burn marks on them. There was even a unique looking pair of chakrams on the wall…silver and red. Roxas studied them for a few moments before walking over to the dresser and opening the drawer. After much sorting through the clothes he finally found a pair of sweatpants and a black tee-shirt that looked like they would fit him, considering that Axel was a good foot taller than he was. Roxas sighed and carried the clothes into the bathroom with him, turning on the shower.

Axel walked down the hall whistling and swinging a bag in his hand. He unlocked the door and stepped inside looking in awe at the new state of his apartment. He looked around and didn't see Roxas so he opened the door to the bathroom because he had to piss like a racehorse. At that exact moment Roxas had decided to step out of the shower.

Roxas screamed and pulled the shower curtain over himself. Axel looked away quickly and rubbed the back of his spiky hair. "Ahh…sorry about that Roxas. Just got home…had to pee…I'll let you get decent." Axel couldn't help but look at Roxas's body as he closed the door but Roxas was too embarrassed to notice, staring at a tile on the floor.

Roxas waited a few seconds before removing the shower curtain and grabbing a towel. He dried himself off and quickly put Axel's clothes on. The pants covered his feet completely but luckily the shirt fit pretty well, probably only because Axel was so skinny.

Roxas opened the door slowly and looked around, seeing Axel leaning back casually on the couch, looking straight at him. Roxas wished he wouldn't look at him like that…like he'd seen him naked…

"So, Roxas, nice job with the place! I barely even recognize it." Axel complimented. Roxas stepped out of the bathroom and Axel looked him up and down once more. "Hey, you look pretty good in my clothes." Roxas rolled his eyes.

"But I got you something on the way home." Axel's smile was strangely suspicious, Roxas couldn't help but notice. "I see that my pants are a bit too long for you, but this new outfit for you should fit nicely."

Axel grabbed the bag he was carrying before off of the floor and reached inside to pull out…

A slutty maid outfit.

Roxas's mouth dropped. "You gotta be kidding me…There's no fucking way I'm wearing that."

Axel's hand stretched towards the telephone on the coffee table. "Oh man, that's just too bad. Guess you'd rather go to jail then?"

"You won't."

Axel picked up the phone. "Hmm…what was their number again? Ah, yes, 9-1…" he began to dial.

Roxas stepped forward and snatched the outfit from Axel's hand. "Why are you making me wear this?" He asked coldly.

"Because it'll be fucking hilarious, man. I'll tell you what; you only have to wear that outfit when you're cleaning if I'm around. Though I'm sure you'll wear it all the time anyway…" Axel was already starting to laugh.

Roxas slammed the bathroom door and came out a few minutes later in the outfit. It hung loosely at the chest, obviously because it was meant for a girl. But other than that, the frilly black, short dress looked like it was made for Roxas. Though the expression on Roxas's face seemed to think otherwise.

Axel burst out into laughter. "Damn…that's sexy…that is sexy…" he said between laughs. "I can't wait to see you bend over in that."

Roxas thought about going to get his switchblade…

"Shit, I'm about to pee my pants…" Axel jumped up, wiping away tears and running past Roxas into the bathroom.

Roxas instantly ran into the spare room and put back on his previous clothes.

After Axel returned from the bathroom and saw Roxas sitting on the couch no longer in a dress he said with a smirk, "Aw, why'd you go change?"

"I'm done cleaning, I'm not wearing that."

Axel snorted and plopped down on the couch next to him. "Man, I can't believe you agreed to do whatever I say…Hey, listen, why don't I start up 'Mortal Kombat' for you and you can play it while I shower. Be prepared to get owned once I'm done, though."

Axel walked over to the TV and started up his PS3, yet another expensive item he won from gambling, no doubt. He handed a controller to Roxas and instantly started to peel off his work shirt and undo his belt as he walked into the bathroom. And yet again, Roxas couldn't help but stare. He figured he was just jealous of Axel's amazing body…why on earth would he be attracted to it?

"Don't try to sneak any peeks now," Axel winked before closing the door.

Soon Axel appeared from the steamy bathroom in a forest green shirt and jeans. And, as promised, he absolutely killed Roxas in Mortal Kombat, using Kitana. Roxas like to use Subzero, but he was no match.

"Dude, why do you use a girl?"

"Why not?"

Roxas stared at the floor.

Axel waltzed over and turned the system off, then walked over to the porch, slid open the doors and lit up. "Hey listen, I understand you've had a rough last 24 hours. What with you killing someone, taken to the house of a stranger, having to clean, then I walked in on you in the shower, then I made you wear a dress, then I kicked your ass at 'Mortal Kombat'…"

Roxas really didn't need to be reminded of all these things.

Axel took a drag, and then pulled out a few bottles of liquor from a shelf. "So why don't we get drunk off our sorrows, eh?" He somewhat slurred his words with the cigarette in his mouth.

Roxas looked up at the idea of this.

"I doubt you're against underage drinking, right? If you are, sorry to judge…"

"No! No…" Roxas said, reaching for a bottle.

"That's the spirit," Axel smiled. "Time to walk the fine line between self-control and self- abuse." He said, opening a bottle, throwing his cigarette off the balcony and taking a swig.

* * *

**End note: **So I hope you guys were surprised at Axel's reasoning behind helping Roxas out. It's somewhat more innocent than what you were thinking...right? And I hope you found the maid outfit funny. I saw this person cosplay Roxas on deviantART wearing a maid outfit recently and I just had to include it in my story! Haha, poor Roxas.


	3. The Kiss

**Disclaimer: ** Axel and Roxas belong to Disney and Square Enix.

**Author's Note: **I'm a bit disappointed that more people didn't review, I was so excited that I got 3 reviews very quickly with my first chapter. Please review, guys! Thank you very much, loverofAkuRoku, for the reviews on both chapters. So, this chapter is a bit shorter than the last one, but I wanted to end it at a specific spot, sorry :(

**Partners in Crime**

**Chapter Three: The Kiss  
**

* * *

Axel walked over to Roxas and tossed him a bottle. Roxas quickly opened it and chugged gratefully. _Whoa, strong stuff. _Axel sat down beside Roxas, he smelled like cigarette smoke and shampoo, and Roxas actually liked that combination.

"So…why'd you do it, Roxas?" Axel suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Why'd you stab him?"

"…I'm not telling you…" Roxas chugged some more.

"You know that you're eventually going to get drunk enough to tell me anyway, so you might as well tell me now." Axel said to him with a smirk.

Roxas looked at Axel, who was looking at him sympathetically. He was probably right. And he would have to tell the guy someday…might as well do it while he's sober. Reluctantly he began to explain, "…It wasn't for any rational reason…Seifer has always been an enemy of mine. It was stupid really…we were just fighting and I just got carried away and lost it…I pulled my knife out and stabbed him…I didn't want to…kill him…" Roxas ended up blurting out and Axel looked at him, concerned. He put his arm around Roxas's shoulder and the boy looked up at him, surprised.

"We all make mistakes, Roxas. Shit…I'm sorry things got out of control." Axel drank from his bottle, and so did Roxas.

After a few minutes of drinking each started to feel a buzz. It was oddly comforting for Roxas to sit on the couch with Axel's arm around him…

"So…feeling drunk enough to go put on the maid outfit and then strip it off for me?" Axel suddenly said, looking at Roxas, grinning.

Roxas actually smiled for the first time in the last 24 hours, figuring Axel was one of those drunks who flirted with _everybody_. "Not that drunk."

"Damn," Axel finished off his current bottle of liquor and started on the next. Roxas was past the point of contemplating whether Axel was serious about that statement or not.

"I still don't understand why you brought me here just to do chores, Axel…"

Axel took a drink from his bottle then looked at Roxas, thinking. "Well, I really am too fucking lazy to clean this place up myself. And you seemed like the perfect person I could manipulate to do it."

Roxas gave him a dirty look. Yes, Axel had told him this before, but he still didn't understand why someone would risk hiding out a criminal just so they could be his maid.

"Hey, I'm just being honest here." Axel took a swig. "I actually wasn't planning to keep you around for long to be honest; I was planning on kicking you out sometime today."

Roxas looked up at him in surprise.

"But I like you, kid. It's not often I want to help someone out. I'm not much of a people person; I'd much rather light them on fire than carry out a conversation…" Roxas opened his next bottle, wondering if he should be worried about that.

"But you're...different…you had something unfortunate happen to you. There's something I like about you."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Axel groaned and staggered across the room. He opened it, "Yeah, whadaya want?"

"Hi Axel!" a goofy looking blonde with a mullet greeted him cheerfully. "Hey, listen I was just wondering if you wanted to-oh you have company!"

"Yup, so as you can see I'm a bit busy" Axel lazily pointed back at Roxas, then tried to close the door in the guy's face. Roxas, not wanting anyone to recognize him, quickly looked away.

"Ooooh!" Demyx said, catching the door and pushing the opposite way of Axel, leaning in to look at the blonde on the couch. "Who is he?"

"Come here honey," Axel slurred, gesturing at Roxas.

_Honey?_ Roxas hesitated. He couldn't risk getting caught...what was Axel doing?

"He's shy," Axel whispered to Demyx and the blonde nodded. "It's alright, Demyx doesn't watch TV, he doesn't know you're a big celebrity around these parts."

Roxas figured he couldn't get out of this one, so he got up, found himself stumbling from the drink as well and stood next to Axel, who instantly put an arm around him.

"Tim, this is my next door neighbor, Demyx. Demyx, this is my boyfriend, Tim." And with that Axel leaned over and lightly _kissed_ Roxas right on the mouth. Roxas froze and stared at Axel as he pulled away.

"Oh, I can see you two are busy, so sorry! I'll come back later! Nice to meet you, Tim!" Demyx waved gaily and walked away.

With that, Axel closed the door, and stumbled back onto the couch. Roxas remained where he stood.

"Axel…what…the hell…was that?"

Axel reached over and pulled Roxas down next to him. "Roxas…Demyx saw you and I had to make some excuse as to why I'm sitting here in my apartment alone, drinking with an attractive young male. Demyx really is clueless; he will never have any idea who you are. If you're going to live with me he's going to have to believe that we're in a romantic relationship."

Roxas looked at him uncomfortably. "Couldn't you have told him that I'm your cousin visiting or something?"

"No can do… I don't have any cousins, my only family left is my dad, and I have no clue where he is." Axel looked sad at this statement but quickly drowned his expression by chugging away at his bottle, not really understanding why Roxas cared so much.

"But why would you tell him…does he think you're gay?"

"I have no clue what that guy thinks, all I know is he's as annoying as all hell. This is the best way to make it seem innocent that you're staying with me…especially if you stay for a long time."

_I guess I understand…still…why did he have to kiss me…and why did my heart race? _

"With luck, maybe he'll spread it around the apartment complex! No one will get suspicious then!" Axel laughed, finishing the rest of his…third…fourth bottle? He couldn't remember which he was on now.

Roxas furrowed his brow in thought. This is yet another thing he didn't plan on happening during his stay with Axel. This was just getting too weird. He set his bottle of liquor down.

_No more drinking…it's making me think I actually enjoyed that kiss, and that's when you know you've had enough…_

Axel moved painfully closer to Roxas until his body was practically pressed up against his. "So…Roxas. We've started this lie…" Axel started to play with his hair. "We're going to have to act like lovers now…we might as well get some practice in, right?"

Roxas pulled his face as far away from Axel's as he possibly could…but he was still so close he could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Axel, you're drunk, you don't know what you're saying," Roxas said, almost to himself, with a nervous laugh. He didn't think Axel was joking around anymore…

"Oh, but I do, it takes a lot to get me drunk Roxas, but how about you? Do you think you'll remember this in the morning?"

Axel leaned into Roxas and their lips met. Roxas's eyes were wide, _what the fuck is he doing!_

Roxas tried to pull away but Axel's hand that was previously playing with his hair kept him where he was. Roxas kept his lips sealed but Axel parted his own lips and began to try to open mouth kiss Roxas. Roxas's heart was pounding… it actually felt…good. He didn't try to pull away anymore. Slowly, he gave in and closed his eyes, and parted his mouth to the kiss. Now that Axel felt Roxas consent he pushed him gently onto his back so he was on top of him. Then Axel slipped his tongue into Roxas's mouth and ran his fingers through the blonde's soft, messy hair. Roxas found himself moaning with pleasure…was this just the alcohol…he didn't really care anymore, it felt so good. Roxas had never kissed anyone like this before, let alone a man. The kissing began to get rougher but then Axel broke free, breathing heavily. He then began to kiss and suck on Roxas's neck sloppily. Roxas felt Axel's hand slide down into his pants and-

"Whoa! What're you doing!" Roxas pushed Axel off of him so hard that Axel actually fell off the couch.

"Ouch…"was all that was Axel's reply.

"I'm not gay you know? Is that the only reason why you invited me back here, so you could take advantage of me?" Roxas looked at Axel fearfully.

"Roxas...it's not like that." Axel explained looking at him drowsily. "You know, you're right, I am drunk, I better get to bed…I guess we can get both get carried away with things we don't mean to do, right?"

Axel got up, yawned, rubbed his ass because he fell on it and simply stumbled into his room.

Roxas sighed and rested his head on the arm of the couch. His heart was still pounding. He looked at the clock. It was 9:00 pm. Had that much time really passed? It was still pretty early…especially for a guy like Axel to go to bed…

_He probably just went to bed to get away from me, considering it probably would have been awkward for him to stick around._

Roxas closed his eyes to rest while he was thinking. He'd get up and go into his room in a few moments…

Roxas couldn't believe Axel had done that…did Axel really mean that kiss, or was he just drunk? Two of Roxas's guy friends got drunk and made out once at a party. The next day things were extremely awkward but they got over it…this was probably just the case here, right? But…it sure felt like he had meant it. And Roxas had enjoyed it, too…

_Argh, what am I thinking!_

And with these thoughts Roxas fell asleep.

* * *

_Ugh, what a nightmare_, Roxas thought as he awoke. He slowly opened his eyes expecting to see his room at home. When he saw the apartment around him, he jumped up groggily. _Fuck, it wasn't a dream…_

Roxas rubbed his eyes and got up off the couch. Fuck, he fell asleep there? He felt his head pound slightly. _A hangover, joy._

He slowly walked into the kitchen expecting Axel to be there. Instead, all he found was a note on the table. He breathed a sigh of relief; it would be a bit uncomfortable to see him right now. He picked up the note and read:

"Roxas-

You have a room to yourself, you know. No need to sleep on the couch. But, I figure you passed out there right? Man, we must have gotten smashed. Last thing I remember is making up that story for Demyx…I hope you're not still freaked about that, by the way. It's really fool-proof if you ask me. Anyways, since you did most of the work yesterday all you really gotta do for me today is my laundry. I hope you know how to do that shit, because I sure as hell don't. Machines are in the basement of this building. Oh, and if you have a hangover like me, aspirin's in the bathroom cabinet.

I'll be back around 8.

-Axel"

Roxas stared at the sloppily scrawled note. He couldn't believe this…_That fucker doesn't even remember!_

Roxas was confused on whether to feel relieved at this or…disappointed.

* * *

**End note: **So I was really tempted to quote Family Guy in this chapter...

Roxas: You're drunk.

Axel: You're sexy.

But I resisted. I hope you enjoyed this one, you got to see some AkuRoku action! Whoo!


	4. Pick Up Lines

**Disclaimer: **Axel and Roxas are owned by Disney and Square Enix. (But not for looooong! Hehehe rubs hands together mischieviously)

**Author's note: **Whoot! As promised, here's the fourth chapter. Thank goodness for February vacation, I have so much time to work on this story. It's funny, because I honestly had no clue where this story was going, I only randomly had the inspiration for half of the first chapter. But now I have such plans for it! Oh, and everything has pretty much been in Roxas's point of view so far, but I decided to switch it up a bit for this chapter. Let's see what Axel truly thinks of Roxas! Enjoy, and review!

**Partners in Crime**

**Chapter Four: Pick-Up Lines **

* * *

The next few days that passed by were normal enough. Axel gave no hint of remembering what had happened that night. (e.g. "Roxas, is that a bruise on your neck? Damn, how'd you manage to get that huge thing?" _It's a fucking hickey, and I got it from you sucking on my neck, motherfucker…_"I don't really know, must have happened in my sleep.")

The routine was pretty average; Axel gave Roxas chores to do while he was work. So thankfully, Roxas never had to wear that maid outfit again. When Axel returned home he'd have a smoke and the two would talk. Roxas liked having him around…when he was alone it was hard for him to get his thoughts off what he did to Seifer…and wondering how his family was doing. Axel and him would play video games, most of the time Roxas would get his ass kicked. But he was getting better at 'Mortal Kombat'. He actually beat Axel a few times…either that or Axel let him. No, no, Roxas definitely did beat him…

So that Friday was a surprise when Axel randomly said at breakfast, "So, I have off today and I figured we better go get you some new clothes. You can't go tripping around in pants forever. I do wish you'd wear the maid outfit more, though." He smirked.

Roxas looked up at Axel and swallowed his mouthful of cereal. "No, Axel, it's enough that you're just letting me stay here, you don't have to go out and buy me clothes."

"Who said I was gonna buy them?" Axel asked slyly. "Ever wonder how I have so much stuff when I practically work on minimum wage?"

"I figured you got all the money from gambling." Roxas said casually.

"Yeah, some, helped get my car that way, but fuck man, I'm not that good." Axel leaned back in his chair. "I'm sure you've heard of the five finger discount?" He held up his hand and wiggled his fingers to demonstrate.

Roxas smiled at him, slyly. "Oh. Yes, I've had some experience with that myself."

"Good." Axel replied. "Plus, it'll do you good do get out of this stuffy apartment, you need some fresh air."

Less than an hour later (after Axel explained the plan to him and Roxas assured him that he 'got it memorized') Roxas slid himself into the passenger's seat of Axel's car. He was wearing a baseball cap with flames along the brim and sunglasses to make it hard for people to recognize him. Axel's hair was tied back in a ponytail and he was wearing a white shirt with black sleeves and red corduroy pants, which fit him very well.

Axel pulled out of the parking lot and sped down the road. He blasted rock music the whole time, not really caring what Roxas thought of it. When they arrived at the mall and Axel turned the car off, Roxas could feel his ears ringing from the loud music.

He stepped out of the car and onto the pavement. Axel casually walked around the car and headed straight for the mall entrance. Roxas glanced nervously around and kept his head down, running to catch up with Axel.

"Axel…are you sure this is safe?" He asked nervously, having second thoughts now that he was in public for the first time in days.

Axel looked over at him fondly and pulled the cap down playfully over Roxas's face. "Trust me, Roxas, you'll be fine."

Roxas pulled the hat up again so he could look over at his newest companion. Axel's hands were in his pockets; he was staring straight ahead and had a relaxed expression on his face. Roxas calmed down just looking at him. If Axel wasn't worried…why should he be? Axel could be considered an accomplice for letting Roxas hide out with him, so he had to be careful too.

At the first store they went into Roxas had to jog to keep up with Axel, who headed straight for the teen section. He looked through the clothes and pulled tons off the rack and shoved them into Roxas's arms. Roxas looked over and saw a young sales clerk heading straight towards them. _Shit, shit, shit…_

"Go ahead and try those on Roxas, I'll take care of this chick." Axel said under his breath to him.

Roxas glanced behind him as he went into the dressing room, hearing the girl say, "May I help you?" in a suspicious tone.

Roxas went into the closest stall so he could hear their conversation. He looked into the mirror outside the stall before closing the door to see Axel lean towards the girl, placing one hand against the wall seductively. Roxas felt a stab of…jealousy? _Jealousy? _No, it definitely wasn't jealousy. "Yes, actually, I'm conducting a field test on how many women have pierced nipples…" he heard Axel reply. Yeah, it was definitely a stab of _embarrassment_ that he actually _knew_ Axel.

Roxas heard the girl giggle and state that she didn't have hers pierced.

"Ah…" Axel paused. "I bet you're a c-cup."

"How'd you know that?"

"My testicles are the same size."

As the girl giggled again Roxas wished he had chosen the stall _farthest_ away.

Roxas listened in agony for minutes on end while he tried on the clothes. Finally, when he was done, he pulled out the bag from his pocket that was identical to the store name and shoved in the clothes he wanted. He cautiously left the dressing room and walked by Axel and the girl carefully, just as Axel was saying, "Your favorite movie's Titanic! Baby, let me tell you, I'm bigger and better than the Titanic…and over 200 women went down on that boat."

The girl didn't even notice Roxas walk by, the shopping bag bulging with clothes. Roxas left the store and sat down on a bench to wait for Axel. After a minute or two Axel walked out of the store triumphantly.

"Dude, she asked for my number." he laughed, sitting down next to Roxas, who rolled his eyes. "Nice haul man," he said looking at the bag. "No one questioned you?"

"Nope."

"On to the next store then!" Axel sat up pointing an enthusiastic finger towards the ceiling. He quickly started walking and Roxas tagged along behind.

The routine continued, Roxas would go try on clothes and then put them in a bag from the store they were in. If there were any problems, Axel distracted the store employees, usually using lame pick-up lines.

"So…what kind of guy are you into? No wait, let me guess, long spiky red hair, dashing green eyes…"

_Dashing?_ Roxas stifled a laugh.

"Hey, when does your shift end? Let's get drunk and take advantage of each other. Or, I could get drunk and you could just take advantage of me. OR, you can stay here and get drunk and I can go home and take advantage of myself. Either way, it's up to you."

Finally after 5 stores, Roxas couldn't carry any more bags, and he couldn't listen to Axel without puking anymore.

"Where did you learn all those lines?" Roxas finally asked, half serious.

"Oh, you know, around." Axel shrugged. "You hear a lot of them at bars."

Roxas didn't think this was quite the whole truth…some of those totally seemed like Axel just made them up, they were that lame.

After hauling the shopping bags back to the car (which Axel took no part in helping with carrying) and shoving them in the trunk, Axel slung an arm around Roxas, pulled his hat off and gave him a noogie. "Man that was fun." He laughed. "You and me, Roxas, partners in crime."

Roxas quickly snatched the hat back and looked around worriedly.

"So what do you want to do now?" Axel asked him.

Roxas looked at him, surprised. He figured they would just go home.

"We can go to the arcade…catch a movie…" Axel suggested.

"How about we get some lunch?" Roxas asked, feeling his stomach growl.

"Sure, we can just go back home and make a human sandwich then." Axel winked and Roxas punched him in the gut.

"Oof…sorry, I've just been on a roll…" Axel defended.

* * *

Axel knew the perfect place to take Roxas. What place could be more perfect than his favorite restaurant? Who couldn't love it?

As Axel was driving the teen there he couldn't help but glance over at him every once in a while. Roxas stared at the dashboard the whole time. Axel sighed. Poor kid. Seemed like his guilty conscious was eating away at him. And Axel couldn't help but wonder what he was getting into with this kid…and how it would turn out in the end.

When they pulled into 'Arigato', the Japanese steakhouse, Axel saw Roxas's eyes light up. Axel jumped for joy internally.

"Oh man…I've always wanted to come here!" Roxas exclaimed, eyes bright.

"Great! It's my favorite place…"

20 minutes later they were seated and the food was getting cooked right before their eyes. Roxas could see the amusement on Axel's face as the chef made the volcano out of onions and lit it on fire.

"I can see why this is your favorite place." Roxas said, the flames lighting up his face.

"Yeah, I wish I could cook like this at home." Axel agreed, still focusing on the tricks the chef was doing. "Unfortunately, I tried once and ended lighting the cupboards on fire…" He glanced over at Roxas as he said this, an amused expression on his face.

Roxas smiled at him and Axel felt his heart leap…

Why did this kid intrigue him so much? Was it just because he was so lonely living alone? Was he just bored? Did he just need to get laid? Axel thought out the possibilities of why he was feeling so affectionately towards Roxas.

The chef now began to flip rice balls into Roxas's mouth. Axel stared. Roxas caught every single one with such skill…it was pretty damn hot…

_Yeah…_Axel concluded. _I definitely gotta get laid soon…_

After the chef left their table Roxas began uncharacteristically raving about how cool his performance was. He seemed so different from that kid who pulled a switch blade out on Axel the night they met. Axel ate his food, silently listening but so glad he had brought Roxas here. _This could be just what I need to get into Roxas's pants…shit no…I've got to stop thinking like that…_

In all honesty, Axel wanted to help this kid. Axel had been in tough situations like this before and he knew what it was like. Not only did you need a safe house, but most of all, a friend, not someone who wanted to kiss every square inch of your body….Axel excused himself from the table to go have a smoke.

After lighting up Axel looked around at the scenery, thinking. He really needed to control himself. He flicked ashes to the ground angrily. This was getting so fucking hard. Ever since Roxas removed that hood from his head, and looked at Axel with those lost eyes, Axel had been hopelessly falling for the kid. For once in his life, someone needed and wanted his help…and that felt damn good. But he needed to _help_ Roxas. He didn't want to get anymore involved than that. He couldn't fuck this up…he couldn't fuck this up…

After living for two years in that apartment alone, only bringing home the occasional midnight stranger from the bar, he finally had someone living with him, as odd as the situation was. He took a long drag on his cigarette and coughed. He'd lied about that night to Roxas and tried to tell himself that when he kissed Roxas he was too drunk to even know what he was doing. But he was lying to himself. The alcohol was only what gave him the balls to do it.

…It'd been so long since Axel felt this way about someone…felt like he needed them around…

Then again maybe all Axel needed to do was watch some porn…hmm.

Meanwhile, inside, Roxas ate his food, wondering when Axel would come back. He glanced over and saw the newspaper a man at a table nearby was reading. On it was a penciled out sketch of a runaway teenage murderer. The resemblance was undeniable.

It was Roxas.

Roxas quickly got from the table and ran outside and grabbed Axel's arm. "Whoa, what's the rush, Roxas?" the red-head asked, practically choking on his cigarette in surprise.

"We have to get out of here." Roxas breathed, looking up at Axel with pleading eyes.

Axel didn't ask questions. The two ran out to the camaro, and sped off, ignoring the angry Japanese man chasing after them, "You no pay for your lunch! Ahaha, I got your license plate numba, bastards!"

"What was that about?" Axel questioned Roxas now that they were out of sight of the restaurant.

"This was a bad idea, Axel," Roxas breathed heavily, and Axel winced at that statement. "There was a guy…he had a newspaper…with my face on it…I knew this was too damn dangerous…"

Rain began to fall and the rest of the ride was silent, until they pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex. The parking was private, so it was under a roof attached to the building and you needed a pass to get inside. It almost seemed like night time because the dark storm clouds blackened out the sky and the roof of the parking lot made it seem even darker.

Axel parked the car and got out; walking over to wear Roxas was stepping out of the car. "I'm sorry, you're right, this was a bad idea. It was too soon, I should have kept you out of sight until this whole thing died down…" He reached over and put a hand on Roxas's shoulder. The boy's heart was beating so fast he could feel it.

"Axel…I'm so scared…I can't stand this anymore…" Roxas whispered and a single tear fell down the blonde's cheek.

Axel felt his heart constrict in pain at seeing this, and he reached over, wiped the tear off of Roxas's face and pulled him into an embrace. Roxas buried his head into Axel's chest and shook with sobs, clutching to his waist. Axel closed his eyes and leaned his head against Roxas's, stroking the boy's hair with one hand.

They stood like this for seconds, minutes; neither was paying attention to how long it was before Roxas pulled away and looked up at Axel.

Axel smiled down at Roxas, then leaned in and kissed him softly on the mouth. Roxas closed his eyes and moved his hands up to Axel's face and kissed him back aggressively. Axel was surprised at first, but then kissed back just as hard, pushing Roxas's body back onto the car, almost slamming him into it. Roxas moaned, feeling himself pinned between the car and Axel's body. Roxas couldn't deny it anymore…he wanted Axel.

And Axel wanted him…damn, did he want him. His heart was racing so fast…Roxas had kissed him back (and he was sober!)…_Damn this feels so good_. He ran a hand up the boy's shirt and Roxas flinched ever so slightly as his touch…

Suddenly, Axel pulled away. No, he couldn't do this. He told himself he would control himself. He wouldn't let himself get close to someone like this. He would not fuck this up.

* * *


	5. Thelma and Loiuse

**Disclaimer:** Axel and Roxas owned by Disney and Square Enix.

**Author's Note: **Thank you all for the reviews. I really appreciate it. A special note to CorderoyPants, your review made me laugh. And yeah, the corderoy pants thing was just a coincedence, but after I posted that chapter I went back and read some of my old reviews and I saw your name and I was like, wow that's weird! I'm glad you all liked the angry Japanese man. Anyways, enjoy the story!

**Partners in Crime**

**Chapter Five: Thelma And Loiuse **

* * *

Roxas looked up at Axel with half-lidded eyes, tears still glistening on their lashes.

"Why…why did you stop...?" Roxas asked, hurt, and out of breath.

"It's not fair, kid…I'm taking advantage of you…" Axel replied, turning away from him and scratching the back of his head.

"No, you're not!" Roxas pleaded, grabbing onto Axel's arm.

"Yes…I am." Axel said calmly, looking at the ground. "Your life is pretty messed up right now, I hate to remind you…of course you're going to be scared shitless all the time. You're going to feel angry and depressed and you'll gladly take what good feelings you can get. Believe me, I've been there. I've been with countless guys and girls for the past two years, enjoying one night of pleasure just so I can forget my pain. I smoke, I drink. I don't want you to turn into what I've become. And I don't want to fool you into thinking that you care for me."

Axel pulled away from Roxas and headed towards the entrance to the apartments. Suddenly he felt hands wrap around him just below his chest and Roxas burying his head into his back.

"Axel…" was all that Roxas could say.

Axel froze in his spot, fighting the urge to spin around and kiss Roxas again. After a few seconds he slowly brought his hands up and placed them on Roxas's. And pulled the boy's hands off of himself.

"Roxas…" he said, his voice lacking emotion. "I'm sorry. You're welcome to stay with me still and clean my house in exchange. But our relationship can't be like this."

Axel started up the steps to the apartment building, not once looking back at Roxas. Roxas stood still, watching him walk away. Once he had disappeared from sight Roxas quickly wiped the tears away from his face with the back of his hands, walked over to the trunk and hauled the bags up to the unlocked apartment he and Axel shared…

Roxas tossed the bags into his room and heard soft rock music coming from Axel's room, the door closed.

"_And I don't want to fool you into thinking that you care for me"…_

_Of course, I care for you Axel…_

But how could Roxas be so sure…he was so confused lately. Not even a week ago he had murdered someone…and because of it he had lost his home, his family, his friends, everything he had previously known. Now all that he knew was Axel. What if Axel was right? Maybe Roxas did only enjoy the feeling of being touched and held and kissed but couldn't care less about the person who was doing it to him. He felt like he wanted Axel, and he was grateful for Axel letting him into his life…but this lust could just be temporary.

But Axel was different,_what did he mean by 'taking advantage' me? _Roxas thought._ Does he mean that all he feels is lust as well? Or does he have true feeling for me, but doesn't want to have me unless I feel the same?_

Roxas punched his wall in frustration.

* * *

The next few days they hardly spoke. Axel would make breakfast, and tell Roxas what chores needed to be done for that day. Roxas would do them and play video games once he was done. Axel would come home from work, shower, and then lock himself up in his room. It was now a week and a half since Roxas murdered Seifer…

Roxas watched the news to see if stories on him were dying down. And no, they weren't. There had apparently been multiple sightings of him from libraries to strip clubs. At least people didn't know where to look. Roxas could be thankful that the law enforcement in this town sucked.

Roxas could not stop thinking about Axel's kiss. Both of them. Roxas could not stop thinking about the way the man sucked the life out of a cigarette, the sexy way he leaned against a wall, his manner of speaking and his voice. The way he cursed in just about every sentence and his sense of humor. The way his clothes fell perfectly on his body, his sense of style. Those weird diamonds underneath his beautiful green eyes and his wild red hair. As the days went by and Roxas's heart hurt every time Axel walked past him, every time he spoke to him coldly, every time Roxas saw him out on the porch, in deep thought, smoking, Roxas realized his true feelings for Axel. It wasn't just lust. It wasn't. Roxas knew that he deeply cared for Axel, and he wanted him to know. Could he call it love? Well, Roxas didn't know the feeling. But this was the strongest he'd ever felt about someone before. It was eating himself up inside. He could no longer bear the guilt of killing Seifer, the pain of missing his old life, and the agony of not being with Axel…

* * *

After an exhausting night at work, Axel flopped down on the couch and closed his eyes. One of his co-workers had gone on vacation so Axel had needed to work a double shift lugging around scrap that probably weighed about half as much as the whole company. Not that it mattered, he and Roxas barely spoke anymore; there was no need for him to be home. The kid could take care of himself just fine. _Fine…yes that's what Roxas is…damn fine…_

Axel lit a cigarette from his position on the couch. Usually he would always go to the porch to smoke so the apartment wouldn't smell like fucking death sticks. But he was too fucking tired to care tonight. He slowly smoked it, with his eyes closed, then tossed it onto the table next to him when it was all out. He opened his eyes just in time to see Roxas sitting down next to him.

"Roxas!" He gasped, startled, sitting himself up a bit. Then he cleared his throat and said smoothly, "You want something?"

Roxas observed the man's reaction and nodded, saying, "I wanted to talk to you."

_Shit…_ "Alright, what about?" Axel tried to sound casual.

"About us." Roxas simply stated.

_Shit…_

"I can't stand us not talking or laughing anymore. I can't stand living like this anymore. I _am_ scared shitless. And I _am_ depressed and angry. And the feeling I get from drinking and being kissed does make me feel better. You're right. But you were wrong about us. I care about you…so much…"

Roxas looked up to see Axel staring at him.

"If you care about me, too, you won't be taking advantage of me. Because I feel the same. I know that now."

"Roxas…what you need is a friend, but I can't offer you that... I want to be more than just friends with you…it's not healthy. It's better this way." Axel told him, focusing on a stain on the carpet.

"You're wrong…" was Roxas's reply, causing Axel to look up at him in surprise. "I don't need just a friend. I need someone who will love me. I need that…to get through this right now…"

Axel sat up more and gazed at Roxas. "I knew as soon as I saw your face for the first time, I wanted to do more than just help you…" he said slowly. "I wanted to love you…and I've been falling in love with you ever since then…" Axel trailed off and looked up to see Roxas slowly positioned himself over his body, so that he was straddling him, Roxas's legs hugging his on the couch. Axel felt his heart begin to beat wildly as Roxas leaned forward towards him. Roxas clutched onto the side of the couch for support and kissed Axel softly. Axel draped his arms around Roxas's torso and closed his eyes, leaning back against the coach, enjoying having Roxas press his body up against his for once. Roxas was filled with excitement and couldn't stop himself from pressing his lips firmly into Axel's, cupping the man's face with his hands. Axel began to slide his hand up Roxas's shirt and they both moaned softly as the kissing began to get deeper. Axel then slid both his hands up and the two men parted lips to remove Roxas's shirt. Roxas hungrily went back for more as soon as the shirt was tossed to the ground. Axel traced the boy's chest lightly with his hands, taking it all in. He pulled away from Roxas in order to unbutton his own shirt and toss it carelessly behind him. Roxas could smell the man's sweat from work and ran his hands up and down Axel's chest as they returned to kissing. Axel cradled Roxas's body to him as he sat up and began to kiss Roxas's neck and chest, like the night they got drunk together, only this time much more softly. Roxas whimpered in pleasure, beads of sweat already started to form on his body from the heat between the two of them. Roxas grabbed at Axel's wrists in order to pull away and kiss Axel on the mouth again, when suddenly a knock on the door made them both jump.

Axel looked at Roxas, exchanging a surprised glance, then wriggled out from underneath him and got up. He opened the door to see a police man standing there, a report in his hands. Roxas stiffened, his heart jumping up into his throat, as did Axel's.

_Shit!_

"M-may I help you, officer?" Axel couldn't hide the fear in his voice.

"Yes. You left the restaurant 'Arigato' on Friday without paying your bill."

Axel sighed in relief. This was all?

"You are to be fined for leaving said restaurant in edition to paying your bill in full."

Axel pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. "Yeah, yeah, how much?"

The man looked Axel up and down, who had his shirt removed and his pants were very wrinkled. He glanced inside and saw a very uptight looking boy with his shirt removed as well, his hands clutching onto the couch he was sitting on. Two shirts were lying messily on the floor. He didn't want to know what was going on in there before he knocked on the door…though he was pretty sure it wasn't legal. _Hey wait a minute…that kid looked oddly familiar…_

"Hey kid!" The police man called out. The teen jumped, looked at him and then looking away quickly. "What's your name?"

The man tried to step forward into the apartment but was quickly blocked by Axel's arm. "No one invited you in." He growled. "You got a warrant or something?"

The police man stepped back, his eyes wide. He paused, then cleared his throat and simply said, "That fine plus the cost of the restaurant meal will be 157, please sign here," he held out a clipboard.

Axel opened his wallet, mumbling curses about 157, shoved the money into the man's hands and signed.

The police man just turned and walked away, without a "Goodbye, sir" or "have a nice day."

Axel closed the door behind him and leaned on it, breathing out a sigh.

"That was close." He looked over at Roxas with a relieved smile but saw that the boy still looked extremely uptight.

Roxas was silent for a few moments until he finally said fearfully, "I think he knows who I am…"

"Nonsense, Roxas!" Axel said, trying to sound reassuring. "He got his money and left, no worries."

"Did you happen see the look on his face when he saw me?"

"I'm pretty sure I got that same look when I first saw your face, too, Roxas." Axel said suggestively.

Roxas got up abruptly and strode over to Axel angrily. Axel couldn't help but think how sexy he looked when he was mad…and with his shirt off. Up until Roxas's face was inches away from Axel, looking into his face, outraged. Then Axel had to try his hardest to keep himself from pulling the teen into him and kissing the living daylights out of him. He really did have a self control issue. It was bad.

"Axel." Roxas said the man's name with as much fury as he could muster. "This is serious. We could have been caught just now."

"Yeah, but we weren't." Axel replied with a grin.

"What if that guy goes back and gets a warrant, huh? What if he comes back with the whole fucking police station following behind him!"

_Ah fuck. _Axel thought. He should have seen this coming. But he was still very…um…excited from the kissing session Roxas and he had shared moments ago. And although he had to shell out 157 fucking bucks to a police man,the passion he felt towards Roxas would not dissipate. Although he kind of wished that it would now. He realized that their little meeting with the police man was too close of a call. He tended not to worry about things like that though, but it was clear that Roxas did. Axel had to slide sideways so he could escape Roxas without having to touch him. Because if he did, that would just ruin all serious thought process. He walked over to his balcony, sliding a glass door open and fumbled for a cigarette, in an attempt to clear his mind.

Roxas waited, his frustration growing. _What the hell is wrong with him?_

Axel turned to face Roxas again, blowing out smoke as he did. Alright, his mind was a little clearer now. It would have been clearer if Roxas would put his shirt back on. But he just couldn't bring himself to request such a thing.

"Look, Roxas, I think you're overreacting a bit. That police officer probably just does desk work and goes around demanding money from those such as myself. He's probably heading back to the station now, and forgot all about us."

Suddenly, the sound of sirens was heard in the distance, making Axel's eyes widen.

"Then again, maybe we should pack our things, just in case!" Axel, flicked his cigarette off the balcony and ran to his room, Roxas doing the same.

"It's probably nothing!" Axel called from his room as he shoved clothes into a suitcase he had grabbed from the closet. He tossed it into the living room and began packing another suitcase. Once he was done he quickly pulled a shirt over his head, grabbed his laptop and walked out of his room.

Roxas was already waiting for him; all he needed was his bags full of stolen clothes.

They looked at each other awkwardly. This was certainly turning out to be one of the most emotion-filled days of both of their lives. Roxas was giving Axel a look that screamed '_I told you so'_. Axel looked down at his bags that he had packed so quickly in the spur of the moment and listened to the sirens growing closer. He cautiously went over to the balcony and looked out at the dark street. After a couple of seconds he felt Roxas's presence beside him.

"I bet you we're getting all worked up over nothing. Just watch, we'll be laughing in a few hours because we actually thought we would have to speed off like 'Thelma and Louise.'"

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "'Thelma and Louise'?"

Axel looked at the expression on Roxas's face and said, "Gee, kid, maybe you are too young for me. Movie was a _classic_ in my childhood."

And at that moment several police cars spun around the bend and onto the street that Axel and Roxas were facing.

"Shit!" They both cried. Roxas looked up at Axel in terror and the man grabbed his hand. "Don't worry Roxas, I'll take care of you!" He yelled above the sound of sirens.

And with that, the two turned, grabbed their bags, and ran out of the apartment.

* * *


	6. Check Out My Skills

**Disclaimer: **Kingdom Hearts characters owned by Disney and Square Enix. Pshhh. Like I could make up characters THAT good. Yeah right.

**Partners in Crime**

**Chapter Five: Check Out My Skills**

* * *

Axel swung the door open and flung himself and Roxas out into the hallway. Unfortunately, their escape route was blocked by a certain blonde haired man with a mullet. They crashed into him, causing all three of the men to fall to the ground.

"Owwie…" Demyx said underneath a pile of suitcases, bags, and men. "Oh, hey, Axel, Tim!"

"Tim…?" Roxas asked confused, but before he could remember Axel had given him that fake name, the man had already gotten up, grabbed his things, and started to pull Roxas along the corridor.

"Hey, what's your rush? What's with all the bags? You guys aren't moving out are you?" They heard him call after them.

* * *

Axel and Roxas were quickly flinging their things into the trunk of the camaro when they saw a group of police men running towards them. Axel slammed the trunk down and quickly got into the car, started the ignition, looked over to see Roxas was safely buckled in and hit the gas. The car swerved, tires screeching and making black marks on the pavement that would probably be there for a very long time. Axel sped right through and onto the street. Roxas looked behind him to see the policemen frantically getting into their cars to follow in pursuit. Axel shifted gears and sped up, maneuvering the car around the others around them. Roxas watched in fear, the street lamps reflecting in his eyes as they whizzed past them. He could see people stopping on the sidewalk to stare at the scene, looking first at the crimson car then at the multiple police cars following behind, sirens screaming and lights flashing. Roxas looked over at Axel admiringly because of his skill with the car. Axel had a look of deep concentration on his face and didn't seem to notice the boy at all anymore.

Axel ran red lights and swerved around corners in hopes to avoid the police cars. It wasn't working very well; although they weren't catching up he could still clearly see them behind him in the rearview mirror. 'Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear'. Fuck.

He began to go even faster, his heart racing. He swerved trying to avoid a group of people attempting to cross the street. In doing so, he went into the opposite lane and skinned the guardrail, sparks flying. "FUCK!!" He cried out loud. There goes his perfect paint job. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. He loved this car. God dammit.

Roxas had winced at Axel sudden outburst and the jolt he felt when the car had hit the guardrail. He suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over him. It was his fault that that happened. It would still be a shiny, hot, perfect, chick-magnet if it weren't for him.

After Axel swerved back into his lane, he glanced into the rearview mirror again. The police cars had to swerve to avoid the group of people too, and that had slowed them down a bit more. Axel wiped sweat from his brow, feeling only a little relief at that.

After several minutes of the car chase Axel was finally beginning to approach his first planned destination. The chances were extremely slim that it would work, he had to be there at the right moment; otherwise it was onto the next plan. But if it did work, then they would be home free.

There. He saw the red lights flashing and his heart began to race even faster. It just might work, it just might work!

Roxas turned forward from looking at the cars in pursuit of them and saw wooden red and stripped arms starting to come down and into the road in front of them. Shit. Railroad tracks. He could hear the train whistle. There were going to have to stop, and they were done for.

But Axel didn't slow down. He sped up even more. And he got a wicked grin on his face.

"Axel…you can't be serious…Axel! Axel! STOP!" Roxas screamed as Axel broke through the wooden arms and flew over the railroad tracks just seconds before the train passed by, blocking the way for the police cars.

_Yes. _Axel laughed almost maniacally from the rush. _Home fucking free. I can't believe that actually worked. _

Axel looked over triumphantly at Roxas for the first time since he had hit the gas. The boy was down as low as he possibly could be in his seat, covering his head with his arms, whimpering.

"Roxas! Roxas! It's alright, it's all good! We escaped, Roxas!" he said, shaking the boy slightly.

Roxas slowly removed his arms from their protective position above his head. "I…can't believe…you…actually did that.…" Roxas breathed out in disbelief.

Axel looked slyly at Roxas as he drove on, proud of himself for impressing his love interest.

"You…are…so…fucking….insane!"

Well. That wasn't what Axel was expecting. He was looking more for a 'Wow, Axel. You're so fucking amazing! Your skills at driving are superb and you pulled off such a mind-blowing feat. I can't wait till we get this car pulled over so you can work your wonders on my body all night long!' Oh well, can't always get what you wish for.

Axel smiled had turned into a frown and he made a mental note not to look at Roxas again for the rest of the ride. Unappreciative little brat.

After an hour and a half of driving, Axel was sure the cops had no clue where they were. They had left the city a while ago and now were on an abandoned country road. Axel drove into a field and parked behind a large group of trees, turned off the ignition and sighed. Roxas was giving him an unintepretible look.

"Well, we'll have to just sleep in the car tonight." Axel said simply. "Once we get farther away we'll be able to stay in hotels."

"Axel…" Roxas began. "Regardless of how fucking insane you are…"

Axel cleared his throat; he did not appreciate that statement.

"I just want to say…thank you so much." Roxas finished.

Axel opened the car door slowly, clearly exhausted but also slightly more happy because of what Roxas said. "No problem, Roxas…" He walked around and opened the trunk, pulling out a blanket and a pillow. "We'll have to sleep in the backseat…I hope you don't mind." Axel suspected Roxas wouldn't be too keen on sleeping with him tonight though, since he obviously thought he was a lunatic.

"I don't mind." Roxas surprised Axel by saying, getting out of his seat in the front.

"Oh…alright then." Axel said, opening the door to the backseat, tossing the pillow onto the other end. He crawled inside, and studied the space around him. It was quite limited. "Hmmm…how shall we do this…?"

Roxas answered him without speaking by crawling inside, on top of Axel and closing the door behind him. He simply cuddled up against Axel's chest and closed his eyes.

"Oh…" Axel breathed, looking down at Roxas's content expression. "Well, that works."

He tossed the blanket up above them and it floated down to hug both of their bodies. Axel leaned back on the pillow against the door and wrapped his arms around Roxas. Seeing as Axel was so tall, he wasn't able to stretch out his legs at all, they were bent and protruded into the air pretty high. Roxas had one leg on either side of Axel's right leg, his legs only bent slightly. This was one of those situations in which being tall sucked. It was pretty uncomfortable. But then, feeling Roxas breathing softly on top of him made it all worth it. He wasn't used to cuddling, but this was nice. Axel fell asleep with a content smile upon his face.

* * *

Roxas awoke and squinted into the sunlight which invaded his sleep. He looked up at Axel, whose breathing was shallow, and had a slight smile on his face. Roxas couldn't help but smile at the sight. He'd never seen Axel look so innocent before. Roxas gazed up at him for a few moments; then rested his head back on Axel's chest. No need to get up yet…

After about an hour finally Axel awoke. He yawned widely and looked down to see Roxas smiling at him.

"Good morning." He said quietly to the boy with a smile.

"'Morning." Roxas replied, pushing himself up off Axel's chest, stretching. He crawled backwards and opened the car door, to get out and stretch his cramped legs. Axel followed behind him, who was even more cramped up than Roxas. After stretching himself, he quickly lit up a cigarette. After the stress of last night, he definitely needed one.

Axel leaned on one side of the car, smoking. Roxas leaned on the other side; looking at the scenery around him and watching the birds flutter around, chirping. After Axel was done he stepped on the cigarette and turned towards Roxas just in time to hear the boy's stomach growl angrily.

"I guess we should go get a bite to eat, huh?" Axel figured. Roxas nodded and proceeded to get into the passenger seat. Axel went to go get into the driver's seat but stopped beforehand to look down at the damage done to his precious car. He ran his hand along the long scratch, which exposed the car's ugly metal underneath. He groaned and punched the ground.

* * *

Axel figured the best thing to do to lay low is to stop by a fast food restaurant. That way only one person would see them, the one who exchanged the food for money. And it was usually a bored looking teen, who most likely had no clue what the local criminals looked like.

Axel drove along the road until he found a small town. There was bound to be a Burger Mart around here somewhere. There was at least one in every town; it was such a fucking ridiculously huge franchise. Ah, there was one.

Axel pulled in and asked Roxas what he wanted. Roxas wanted a double cheeseburger, large fry, coke, and ice cream. Axel raised an eyebrow. Geez, he didn't want Roxas to be obese by the time they left the parking lot. Wow. This kid really could eat.

After they got their food, Axel parked the car in the lot. He finished his food pretty quickly; he didn't really need that much. So he ended up just watching Roxas in awe as he ate his ice cream. The way he licked the spoon...mmm. Wow. Axel wished he was that spoon. Roxas turned towards him suddenly and Axel tried to act like he wasn't staring at him, his face turning red.

"Thanks again for the food, sorry I ordered so much." Roxas said.

"You can stop thanking me for everything now, Roxas." Axel said, waving a careless hand at him. "I wouldn't do it if I didn't want to. Anyways, we better get going." He started the ignition.

"…Do you even know where we're going?" Roxas finally got the courage to ask. He'd been wondering ever since they left the city.

"Of COURSE I know where I'm going!" Axel said, offended, then mumbled, "for now anyways…"

* * *

After driving in silence for a little while Axel heard Roxas say, "I'm sorry Axel." He looked over at the boy in surprise, who was staring at his own lap. "For what?" He asked in a voice that suggested Roxas was insane.

"For making you do all these things for me. I got you into this whole mess, now you lost your apartment, your job…you left behind a bunch of stuff."

Axel frowned. Yeah. He was going to miss that sick apartment. And burning things for money. And his video games. Probably the apartment most of all. He'd gotten quite attached to it after living in it for two years, after all.

Roxas looked up at Axel, taken aback when he felt the man intertwine his right hand's finger with Roxas's left, while using one hand to drive still. "Don't worry about it, Roxas. Like I said, I wouldn't be doing all this if I didn't want to, got it memorized? Sure, I'm going to miss that stuff. I would love it if things hadn't turned out this way, but they did. There's nothing we can do about it. And as long as I don't lose you, I'm happy." Axel smiled at Roxas, and the blonde felt himself blushing.

Soon Axel sighed and said, "I need to get gas," turning into a gas station as they entered a large city. After he filled up, he got back into the car, cursing. "Fucking gas prices are so fucking ridiculous!" Grumble. "I need to get some cash…"

Some more cursing followed soon after because you were only allowed to withdraw 200 per day from your back account. "That's most fucking unreasonable thing I've ever heard! Some people need the money, fuckers!" He yelled kicking the ATM machine. He wondered how long it was until his account was locked down. The police tended to do that to criminals on the run. It probably wouldn't be long, so Axel needed to get as much money as he could as soon as possible. He contemplated this while continuously kicking the machine. Maybe it would spit money out at him in defeat, but it was unlikely. He had already gotten lucky with the whole train incident; fate probably wouldn't smile upon him again anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Roxas was glancing around the parking lot, embarrassed because of the people staring at them. "Axel, you should probably stop now," Roxas grabbed his shoulder and attempted to pull him away from the machine. Axel obeyed and they headed back to the car.

Once they had settled into their seats again Roxas, turned towards Axel, "So what are we going to do now?"

Axel sighed and slumped himself over the steering wheel. "I don't know, Roxas…I just don't know…" Then he abruptly shot up from his position of defeat. He had an idea.

"Well, Roxas," he said mysteriously, a grin spreading across his face. "I think it's about time you saw how skilled at gambling I really am."

* * *

**End Note: **"Burger Mart" is a reference to the story "Super Sized!" by voodoodoll333 / katalystik. It's totally that story's fault I can't keep the humor out of my story. I love it and I highly recommend it.


	7. The Woman

**Disclaimer: **Axel and Roxas are by Disney and Square Enix. All other things in my story are by me, weee!

**Partners in Crime**

**Chapter Six: The Woman **

* * *

Axel and Roxas quickly changed into clean clothes in the gas station bathroom. Axel had to look away to keep himself from pinning Roxas up against the wall and engaging in sexual activity. But then he actually looked at the wall. It was covered in brown stains that ran down it. Ew. Nah, he didn't want to have his first time with Roxas in here. He didn't want to make contact with anything in this room. Well, except for Roxas. He and Roxas could make contact anytime. Except for in here. Gross.

They walked out of the disgusting bathroom and Axel looked Roxas over. He was wearing black pants and a gray long-sleeved shirt. Simple. Yet sexy.

"I never got a chance to tell you how good you look in your new clothes, Roxas." Axel complimented. He really hadn't, since they had stopped talking right after Roxas had gotten them.

Roxas looked over at Axel, who was wearing dark blue pants (not jeans) with a black belt and a deep maroon button down shirt, with one tail of it tucked into his pants and the other hanging out sloppily. Axel was slightly leaning forward with a smile upon his face, hands in his pockets, his eyes trying to meet Roxas's.

"Thanks…" Roxas blushed. "I never got a chance to tell you how good you always look." Whoa. Did he just say that? He looked away quickly, the color of his face deepening.

_Whoa, _thought Axel. _Score!_

* * *

After driving around the city a bit Axel finally caught sight of a casino. They pulled into the lot and got out, Axel casually swinging his keys on his finger, whistling as they walked towards the entrance. Roxas couldn't figure how Axel was always so relaxed about everything. Roxas was always a nervous wreck. He was actually jealous of Axel for being so calm all the time. How did he do it?

Internally, Axel was a nervous wreck. But he couldn't let Roxas see that. If the boy dug his hands into his pockets any further than he already was he would break through them. He was also staring at the ground with a pained expression on his face. Axel glanced around the parking lot as they walked closely by the wall of the building. There was no one around, and it was quite dark. He quickly grabbed Roxas's waist and pressed him against the wall. Roxas looked down at Axel's hands, startled; then looked up into his face.

"Come on Roxas…loosen up a bit…" Axel whispered as he leaned in to kiss Roxas, eyes closed. The kiss was soft and slow, Axel ran his hands up and down Roxas's upper body in an effort to relax him. Roxas felt his muscles slowly start to untighten. He leaned against the wall, enjoying the support of Axel's arms. After about a minute, Axel pulled away.

"Better?" He asked.

"…Yeah…" Roxas breathed.

After walking into the front doors and getting I., the two made their way into the casino. It was filled with laughter and voices, sounds of slot machines and music. Roxas noticed that there were many women who would stop their conversation and look Axel's body up and down with a look of desire upon their faces. _No one looks me up and down,_ Roxas thought bitterly. _Well, except for Axel. But he doesn't count. _Roxas cursed his boyish looks.

Axel sat down at a card table as the game was being dealt. He glanced around at the people seated at the table. There was a young woman with long dark brown hair sitting next to him in a black dress that was too low cut to make anyone focus on her face. Axel was able to pry his eyes away from her chest long enough to see she was staring at him though. Heh. This was going to be too easy.

Roxas stood awkwardly next to Axel before finally leaning down and whispering to him, "Um, what should I do?"

Axel looked around the casino with a slightly bored look. He pulled out his wallet and handed Roxas all of his quarters. "Go play around with the slot machines a bit." Roxas looked over and saw only old ladies at the machines, pulling the levers down with much effort. He glared at Axel and stormed over to one, making sure that he still had a perfect view of Axel. He inserted a coin into the slot and pulled the lever as he observed Axel and the woman making googly eyes at each other. _What the fuck, Axel?! _He pulled the lever down with unnecessary force and watched the symbols spin by, stopping one by one. Nothing. Suddenly a scream of excitement erupted from next to him as an old lady jumped up and down on her cane as silver coins came pouring out of her machine. "Hot diggity! I won!" she cried happily. Axel was looking at his cards with a straight face, while the woman continued to stare at him like he was a piece of meat. Roxas decided that he really didn't like Axel that much right now.

"You from around here?" the woman asked, taking a sip from her margarita. Axel threw a card down on the table and picked up another, sliding it into his hand, still keeping a straight face. "Nope. From out of state." He lied.

"Mmm," the woman nodded. "Do you need a place to stay by any chance?" She said, running a finger underneath Axel's chin. Axel glanced over at her suspiciously while placing more chips on the table as his bet. Hmmm. She could be trying to sneak a peak at his cards. Or she could just be trying to get into his pants. He guessed that her motive was the latter of those two possibilities. As other people folded their cards down in submission, he carefully hid his cards from her view as he leaned in to her, "You offering one?"

The woman shoved more of her chips into the circle as she ran a hand up Axel's leg. "Only if I can get something from you in return..." She said seductively. Huh. That sounded oddly familiar. Oh yeah. Axel had said something like that to Roxas while offering him a place to stay. At that time his intentions were more innocent than this woman's though. "That shouldn't be too hard," Axel replied and leaned in to nibble on her neck.

Roxas watched this whole scene with boiling fury. He kept shoving coins into the slot of the machine. It was kind of redundant, sometimes he would lose, other times the machine would spit out the amount of coins he had just lost. He wanted to so badly to go over and rip the two of them apart. But he had a feeling that Axel probably was only sucking on this woman's neck for a valid reason. He hoped.

"Mmm," the woman moaned, closing her eyes as Axel kissed her neck. As he was doing so, he glanced at her cards. A full house. He smiled triumphantly and slid all of his poker chips into the circle as he pulled away. She didn't even notice. The dealer requested whether they would like to stay in or fold. The woman smirked at him and exposed her hand to the rest of the players. Axel smirked back and put down his cards. A four of a kind. Her face twisted into one of shock as he triumphantly pulled all the chips on the table over to himself. She regained her dignity and tossed her hair. "You're very good."

_I know._ Axel grinned at her.

The routine continued on like that, Axel just kept winning more and more. And the lady never caught on that he was using her to cheat. She only looked increasingly impressed as his winnings grew. She offered to buy him a drink and Axel gladly obliged. Roxas had now won a fair amount of quarters, but he was getting bored pretty quickly. And was getting jealous pretty quickly. This was so not fair.

After about two hours of playing cards, Roxas saw Axel collect his prize money and walk over to him, the woman staring. Axel sat down on a machine beside him, grinning.

"Guess how much I won?"

"More than what we have now, I'm guessing." Roxas said coldly.

"Three thousand fucking bucks man!"

Roxas couldn't believe his ears. Was that even fucking possible? How the _hell_ did Axel pull that off?

"We'll be set for a while…" Axel said, flipping through the money, counting it. Then he looked back at Roxas, "Hey you didn't happen to notice that chick over there with me did you?"

"How could I not?" Roxas shot him an evil glare of doom. But Axel didn't seem to notice.

"Well, she offered us a place to stay for the night…" Axel looked a bit uncomfortable as he thought about what to say next. "The thing is though…I would probably have to sleep with her. Would you…have a problem with that?"

_Hell yeah I would have a problem with it bastard! _Roxas yelled at him in his head. On the outside Roxas only looked at the ground.

"I haven't had a shower in over twenty-four hours, Roxas, and you haven't either. Only I totally need one since I still have all that grim on me from work still. Look, it's just for one night. It would really help us out…"

Roxas knew he was right. But really didn't want to admit it. He racked through his brain quickly to think of an excuse that wouldn't let Axel know he didn't want him to just because he was jealous.

"Isn't there some way you can get out of sleeping with her?" He whispered to Axel.

"I don't think so Roxas…that's the only reason why she's interested in me. Look, we're going to have to do what we need to do to hide out."

Roxas didn't know how he would feel the next day after seeing Axel and knowing he had slept with someone. But then again, Axel had told him that he had slept with tons of people before. So it wasn't like it was _unusual _for Axel to sleep with someone. And Roxas could tell by the way Axel kissed him and touched him that he definitely had experience in that area. Then again, Roxas wanted Axel to be true to only him. But it wasn't like they were 'dating' or anything. He didn't even know what he and Axel were. Criminals with benefits? Axel had told him that he was falling for Roxas…Argh! This was so confusing. _I really should trust Axel, after all he's done for me…I have been very selfish. He's done so much for me and I'll I've done is cleaned his apartment up a bit. His apartment that we will probably never see again. _Roxas sighed in defeat.

"Alright…"

Axel cast a reassuring smile at Roxas. "Don't worry, it'll be worth it."

_It better be…you're going to be having a lot more fun tonight then I am, I can guarantee you that. _

Axel got up to walk back to the woman and Roxas figured he better follow. He gave her a pissy look that said _'Touch Axel and die.'_ Though of course, she already had and was going to do much more than just touch him tonight…

"This is my cousin, Tim. I hope you don't mind if he tags along. Don't worry; I'll keep him out of your sight."

_Oh, sure, __now__ Axel introduces me to somebody as his cousin. Now that he was going to get laid by said person. Grrr._

The woman eyed him, a look of disgust on her face. She turned back to Axel. "Fine, whatever, as long as I get you tonight…" She stepped towards him wrapping her arms around him, kissing him on the mouth. Roxas's blood boiled. He was going to kill that bitch.

Axel pulled away rather quickly and cleared his throat, looking over at Roxas apologetically._Hmph. Puppy dog eyes are not going to make me feel any better about this, Axel._

The woman proceeded to grab Axel's hand and lead him out to the parking lot, not once looking at Roxas again. "That's my car over there," she said, pointing to a silver Mercedes Benz. She got into it and started the ignition, pulling out and then waiting for Axel to follow in his car.

The car ride was painfully silent as they followed the lady back to her place. Roxas was still wondering why he had agreed to this. Axel was wondering if Roxas would be okay with this in the long run. Quite honestly, Axel couldn't care less about this woman. But since they were on the run from the law, he had to take what hospitality he could get. He really hoped that Roxas could understand that, even if it meant he had to…cheat on him. Was he cheating on Roxas? Were he and Roxas even dating? Sure, they told each other that they cared about one another and had a few make out sessions... but there was no formal agreement that they _belonged_, to each other, right? _Right. _Axel told himself.

Once they had pulled into the lady's drive way, she immediately walked straight up to Axel as he got out of the car. "Nice ride," she said, running a finger down his chest. "Too bad about that scratch…" She connected her mouth with Axel's, but he pulled away.

"Hey, listen, not in front of my cousin okay? It's awkward."

The woman shot an angry look at Roxas. _Bitch, please. _He thought. _He's mine._

They walked into the small ranch house and the woman turned towards them. "Your…" She paused trying to remember what exactly Roxas was. "…cousin can sleep down in the basement." She said, looking at him like he was such an inconvenience. "But you," she said to Axel. "Get to sleep in my room."

God, this chick was laying it on thick. Was she just dying to get pregnant or something? Roxas's fists shook at his sides as he questioned how the woman could be so insanely all over Axel.

Axel just smiled at her, casting Roxas an awkward glance and said, "Hey, listen, baby. Is it alright if I use your shower? I've been driving all day and I would like to freshen up beforehand…"

"Oh, of course…the bathroom's over there." She pointed to it.

"Thanks," and Axel kissed her, then walked into the bathroom, leaving the two of them standing there uncomfortably. Roxas really, really didn't like Axel right now.

The woman turned on her heel and walked into her kitchen, pulling out a bottle of wine. She was already drunk, Roxas had watched nervously as she had swerved all over the road earlier. Now she was drinking even more. Roxas heard the shower turn on and he awkwardly walked over to the couch and sat down. He heard the woman stumbling around in her high heels, cursing when it sounded like she had ran into something. Roxas tried hard not to laugh. _Haha, bitch. _After about 10 minutes of staring at his lap, he turned around to see her walking towards him, pointing towards a door. "The basemen's down der." She slurred. "Dun bother us, or else."

Oh, was she _threatening _him? Roxas didn't think he could take much more of this before he would be on the run for committing a second murder. Roxas stood up abruptly, glaring at her, and walked towards the door. The bathroom door opened before he reached it, however and Axel stepped out, a towel around his waist. Now the woman looked like she had just won the lottery as she stared at his body. She grabbed his arm and led him towards her room. Axel looked back at him with a look of remorse. He actually looked really uncomfortable...but whatever. Roxas angrily thrust open the door to the basement and stomped down the stairs. He prayed he would not be able to _hear_ them, at least.

* * *

Barely even a minute later, Roxas heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He sat up from the couch he was laying on, distracted from his thoughts of all the ways he could kill the lady and make it look like an accident. He saw Axel in just a pair of boxers, heading towards him. His furrowed his brow, wondering what the heck he was doing down there. Axel walked around the side of the couch and sat down next to Roxas with a smile on his face.

"Looks like I don't have to sleep with her after all." He said, wrapping an arm around Roxas. "Little slut passed out drunk."

Roxas could not hide the gigantic grin that crossed his face and he couldn't help but throw his arms around Axel and bury his head into the man's chest.

"I'm sorry I kissed her, Roxas..." Axel said, smoothing a hand through the boy's hair. "I just really thought that we needed a place to stay tonight, and this offer came up."

"…I'm just glad you didn't have to sleep with her…" Roxas said from Axel's chest.

"Yeah, I am, too." Axel pulled away from the blonde and looked at him suggestively. "You know the only person I want to sleep with is you."

Roxas's face flushed. "Axel, let's just get some rest tonight..." He said awkwardly, not really knowing what to say to that.

"Of course, Roxas. That's what I meant by 'sleep'. What were you thinking?" He teased.

Roxas pushed Axel forcefully onto his back and stuck out his tongue at him. Then he laid down, somewhat on top of him and breathed in the scent of Axel's newly washed body deeply. Axel hugged him close to himself and they both fell asleep.

* * *

**End note: **Ahaha, I tricked you! You guys were probably all "NO AXEL, DON'T DO IT! STUPID AUTHOR I HATE YOU!" But hahaha you were fooled (I think). And about the woman, I thought about making her a character from Kingdom Hearts, but no one fit. Perhaps Tifa? So you can imagine her as whoever you want, I guess.


	8. The Dream

**Disclaimer: **Axel and Roxas are owned by Disney and Square Enix.

**Author's note: **Haha I had off of work today and barely any homework, so here's a 48 hour update for you! Yay! By the way, this story is set in the United States. I have seen that a lot of my watchers and reviewers are from all over the world. So I hope my story isn't too hard for you to follow. I quite honestly don't know much about the cultures of other countries, but I do know that America is different from some. I r smart lyke that. So just let me know if you're ever confused about something. Thank you all for reviewing and reading! I love you all! I seriously thought only about 10 people tops would read this story when I first posted it. Now twice that many people have this story on alerts. Thanks so much, I'm so flattered!

Anywho, enjoy the chapter, and remember, review, review, review!

**Partners in Crime**

**Chapter Eight: The Dream**

* * *

Axel awoke to find Roxas drooling on his naked chest. Awww…hey wait a sec…ew! Axel was about to push Roxas off of him when he heard the boy let out a soft sound…one sounding quite like a moan. Axel smirked. _Ooo, and just what is Roxas dreaming about?_ He wondered.

"Uhhhnnn…" Roxas whimpered again. A wet dream perhaps? He was certainly making Axel's chest wet with his drool, Axel couldn't help but notice.

"No…don't…stop…uhhh"

Ho ho ho! 'No, don't stop'? Axel was sure that Roxas's dream was indeed about him now. No doubt about that. He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. This was getting interesting…

* * *

Roxas walked into the club, looking around. He saw the people grinding each other on the dance floor, the people leaning on each other at the bar, drunk, the gamblers in the corner and then the people he was looking for. He walked up to his friends, sitting down with them.

"It's about time, Roxas!" Hayner said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, we were getting worried!" Ollette said fondly.

"Pssssssshhhhhh, yeah right!" laughed Pence.

"There was nothing to worry about." Roxas rolled his eyes. "My mom gave me a hard time about going out, that was all."

"Dude, you gotta get out of there, man. She's way too strict for your own good." Pence said.

"And what do you propose I do, huh? Run away? I gotta graduate high school first, dumbass. Otherwise I will never be able to get a decent job."

Hayner lit up a cigarette, frowning. "Man, I can't wait to get out of that hell hole. Just 3 more months, man. Then we're free for life!"

Roxas smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I can't believe I got detention on Friday for skipping class. It's like, what the fuck man, we're seniors, let us do what we want!"

Suddenly he felt a hand grasp tightly onto his shoulder and pull him up and out of his seat.

"I thought I told you I never wanted to see you in here again." Seifer growled into his face.

Roxas looked into his rival's face with a smirk. "And since when do I ever listen to you?"

"Hey, get your hands off Roxas!" Pence cried, standing up.

Raijin grabbed onto the tubby boy and held him back. "Seifer does what he wants to, y'know?"

"Why does looking at you always manage to piss me off?" Seifer growled at Roxas, his eyes glinting.

"Maybe because Roxas could kick your ass in ten seconds flat!" Hayner yelled at Seifer, but was blocked by Fujin.

"Shut up!" Seifer screamed, not taking his eyes off of Roxas, who was glaring at him defiantly. People in the club who were close by had turned and started staring now, but most were still unaware of what was going on in the corner of the club due to the loud music.

"Seifer, I know you like it up the ass and all, but I'm not a faggot like you, so get your hand offa me!" Roxas said pushing Seifer, causing him to let go and loose his balance.

Ollette jumped up in between the two rivals. "Stop it! You guys are acting like a bunch of-" Her sentence was broken off by Seifer grabbing her and pulling her in towards him.

"This your girlfriend, Roxas? Nice choice I must say…" He said looking down at her, reaching his hand around to squeeze her ass.

"Get off of me!" She cried, beating at him with her fists.

"I don't wanna." Seifer sneered at her, groping her some more.

"No, don't! Stop it!" Roxas's heart was in his throat. Ollette wasn't his girlfriend but they were both very close. She was the most innocent in the group and Roxas felt the brotherly need to protect her.

"What are you going to do about it?" Seifer asked, tossing her aside. He walked up to Roxas, grabbed his throat and slammed him against the wall.

"I've had enough of you and your little friends fucking up my plans. Stay out of my turf. This is your last fucking warning."

Roxas's anger had grown to its boiling point; he shot his arm up and brought it down on the arm Seifer was using to hold him, hard. Seifer cried out in pain. Roxas took the moment to punch him in the face. Seifer retaliated by punching him in the gut. Roxas keeled over, and saw that Seifer's friends were still holding his own back. Seifer hit him just below the back of his neck and Roxas fell to the ground. People in the club were starting to yell out now, calling for security. Seifer was distracted by this and didn't notice Roxas quickly get up and pull out his switchblade.

"Don't you _ever_ touch my friends again." He growled, and stabbed Seifer in a soft spot in his chest. He pulled the knife out and watched as Seifer fell to the ground. Roxas looked up and saw security guards rushing towards him. _Shit…_

Roxas turned and ran out of the emergency exit of the club as fast as he could. He could hear the voices of his friends calling after him "Roxas! Roxas! Roxas…Roxas…" The voices began to fade and started to turn into the voice of a soul individual…

"Roxas!" Axel cried, shaking him. "Roxas, wake up!"

Roxas bolted upwards, looking around wildly. He saw that he wasn't in a club, but in a strange basement. He looked back at the half-dressed person he was lying on top of. Axel was staring at him with a stunned look upon his face.

"Roxas, what happened? You were screaming in your sleep and started to go crazy. You fucking smacked me in the face, man." Axel indicated by pointing at a large red spot at the corner of his mouth. That was going to leave a mark.

"I…I'm sorry. I…was having a nightmare…" Roxas said, still panting, wiping sweat from his brow.

Axel put his hands on Roxas's waist and looked at him with concern. "About what?"

Roxas pushed the man's hands off of himself and got up, walking away from Axel, facing the wall. "Mind your own fucking business." He said, running a shaking hand through his hair, staring at the ground.

"Roxas…I heard you say Seifer's name…"

Roxas turned around to face him again. "I just can't get that night out of my head. I can't believe how stupid I was…" He said, his fists shaking at his sides.

Axel said nothing but got up from the couch, walked over to Roxas, and tried to wrap his arms around him. But Roxas quickly pushed him away. Axel stumbled and looked at him, hurt.

"…the hell Roxas?"

"I…need to be alone right now." Roxas told him. "_Sorry_." He added harshly.

Axel stood there blankly for a few seconds. What had he done? He wanted to help Roxas so badly…but obviously Roxas didn't want his help…Axel turned away and walked up the stairs. Once he was gone Roxas collapsed on the couch, wiping away tears.

* * *

Axel cautiously walked by the woman's bedroom door and peaked inside. She was still where he had left her, slumped awkwardly on her bed. Axel felt relieved but couldn't shake the painful feelings he felt from what Roxas just did.

Axel quickly got dressed, walked out to his car and opened the trunk. He brought his laptop into the house and sat down on the couch, lighting a cigarette. He couldn't care less if he made this lady's house smell like cancer on a stick. He needed the cigarette to help him keep his mind off of Roxas. Axel opened his laptop and turned it on, wondering if the house had a wi-fi connection. After the computer had booted up, he discovered that it did. Axel looked up the city they were in online, looking to see how far it was until they crossed the state border. It actually wasn't too far; it would only take a few hours of driving. Once they were in a new state they could stay at a hotel, because the state police would be more worried about criminals in their area rather than looking for ones from other states. As he studied the route they had to take, he leaned back, taking a drag on his cigarette. Why did Roxas have to be so difficult? The kid was going to give him frown lines at this rate. He leaned forward again, cigarette sticking out of his mouth. He loaded msn messenger and scrolled through his buddy list, ignoring the various messages from other people that were popping up.

"What's shakin, bacon?"

"Hey babe. Been a long time since I've seen you in my bed."

"OMG! AXEL! HOW R U? HOW COME U NEVER TALK 2 ME NEMORE?"

"How's that hot ass doin'?"

_My ass isn't so hot right now. _He thought bitterly, x'ing out of the message.

Finally he found the person he was looking for, who was thankfully online. He double clicked on the person's picture, quickly typing, "Hey, sup? It's Axel."

"I know who you are, dipshit. What do you want?"

"Well…you see…I'm in kind of a bad situation…"

"Uh huuuuuh. Get to the point."

"I was wondering if maybe me and a friend could crash at your place sometime within the next few days. We need a place to stay."

"Why would you come all the way out to my place?"

"Um…the farthest place away from where I am now would be the most sufficient :)"

Pause.

"How long would you be staying?"

Pause.

"…I don't know."

"Would you please explain to me what's going on?"

"I will once I get there. Thanks again."

The person on the other end took too long to respond for Axel's patience and he logged off. Well, at least he knew that they would have a decent place to stay in a couple days. Axel sat up, stretched and walked into the woman's kitchen and opened the fridge. Aw, what the fuck. All diet foods. That's what you get for staying with a chick. He rolled his eyes and grabbed a yogurt. He thought about grabbing a banana for Roxas, but he might take that the wrong way. So instead he poured some cereal into a bowl for him. Hopefully Roxas wasn't too upset where he wouldn't even accept food from Axel. He paused and took a deep breath before walking back down into the basement.

"I got you some food…." He said cautiously, peaking over the edge of the couch. Roxas was laying face up, his arm slung over his eyes.

"Thanks…" He mumbled, sitting up and taking the cereal. Axel noticed his eyes were red. It was obvious that he had been crying. But Axel decided against asking him about it. Roxas said that he had wanted to be alone, so he obviously didn't want to talk about it. So Axel only sat on the arm of the couch on the opposite end from Roxas, eating his yogurt.

"Um…so we should head out soon, before the slut wakes up." He said to Roxas awkwardly, who only focused on eating his cereal. "We only have to drive for a couple hours till we leave the state. We'll be able to get a hotel room from there."

Roxas nodded, slurping on his spoon. "…Fine."

Axel sighed. Roxas was the most difficult kid he had ever met. But he liked a challenge. Usually all his partners were far too easy to get. Roxas obviously liked him, but the current events in his life were causing him to act like a PMSing woman. Alright, so maybe that wasn't the kindest comparison. The current events in Roxas's life were making him very confused, guilt ridden and causing him to have major mood swings. Yeah, that's a bit better. Not to mention the kid was more uptight now that they were on the run. Usually Axel was very good at calming people down, but he was stumped about how to get Roxas to.

Roxas took a last bite of cereal and got up without looking at Axel, trying to hide his tear streaked face. He and Axel both walked up the stairs and looked around the house awkwardly.

"Um…are you okay, Roxas?" Axel dared to ask.

"I'm fine." The boy snapped. He felt better after…crying…but he still wished that Axel would leave him alone about it. It would make him feel even better to not see Axel worrying about him. To hear him laugh.

Axel bit his lip, he better not bring it up anymore; Roxas would talk about it when and if he wanted to. Axel decided he would just act like things were normal for now. He picked up his laptop, glancing towards the woman's room once more. "We should get going."

Roxas nodded. They began to head towards the door when Axel noticed the lady's purse on the floor. He grinned and picked it up as they walked out.

It wasn't until they were in the car that Roxas noticed what Axel had snatched.

"Um…Axel? Why do you have a purse?"

"Dude, it's not mine! Here." Axel tossed the purse at Roxas, who clumsily caught it. "See how much money there is and if there's anything else interesting in there."

Normally Roxas would feel guilty about going through a woman's purse…but this situation was quite different. This woman just so happened to be a bitch in Roxas's book. He ripped the zipper of the hideous designer leather bag open and rummaged inside. He looked through her wallet and pulled out the money inside. "Looks like about 300 bucks!" Roxas said after counting it, smiling at Axel.

Axel only glanced over since he was driving. "Nice."

Roxas continued to dig through the piles of make up inside the purse. He found a cell phone. And out the window it went. Axel smiled. The kid must really have a grudge against this woman. Axel actually felt flattered.

After Roxas was finished he threw the purse in the backseat. "Nothing interesting. She has some credit cards but we probably won't be able to use them since we're not her right? I mean, we're not women."

Axel raised an eyebrow. "What? Roxas, you've been lying to me this whole time? What the fuck man!" He joked and Roxas punched him. This was better. If Axel kept the mood light and kept him smiling, he wouldn't have to dwell on his reminiscent dream.

Axel laughed and rubbed his arm where he'd been punched. "Actually Roxas, we can use those credit cards in more ways then you know. They don't I.D. you for them in stores. And we can even get money out of her bank account at an ATM if she has her account number written somewhere. I'm surprised you didn't know this stuff."

"Well, I've never used a credit card before…sorry, I'm not quite used to committing identity theft."

"And you're suggesting that I am?"

"Well…"

Axel reached over and messed up Roxas's hair with his hand before the boy could duck out of the way. "Hey, I was never a criminal until you showed up in my life."

"Oh, I'm sure." Roxas teased.

Axel grinned over at him and then said, "So, what do you think we should do first? Go buy a hot tub, a TV, perhaps a GPS system? Oh, I know! How about some sex toys?"

"Yeah, right, Axel. Actually, a GPS system sounds like a good idea."

"Alright then, let's get one!"

They pulled into the next autoshop they passed and went inside. It was so easy, Roxas observed. All they had to do was swipe the card and give a fake signature. It also helped that the person who rang the system up was a geeky looking teen who looked half asleep. Luckily the autoshop was also a gas station, so Axel filled up and withdrew money from the woman's bank account. 200, as much as you could take out.

Roxas couldn't help but feel like they were committing more and more crimes as they went along. It was like, once you broke the law, you had no choice but to break even more.

Axel threw her purse into a garbage can and they got into the car. Roxas booted up the system and Axel told him what destination to put in, a city that was in a neighboring state. The thing was actually quite annoying, Axel found, telling him things like "Turn right, then bear right. Take left at next fork." In it's sing-song voice. Ah, well. They would be needing the damn thing.

The drive along was actually quite pleasant. Axel had managed to lift Roxas's mood and the whole time they laughed and made fun of the GPS system. It was voice automated so they said things like, "Give me the destination to 'Fuckmehard'" and "How far away is 'Uranus?'" Each time the thing would try to repeat what they had said in it's automated voice, apologizing for not knowing what they were talking about.

Axel felt truly happy. Things were really working out between him and Roxas. They hadn't even needed to worry about the police since they left their hometown. He loved that he was able to make Roxas laugh despite all the kid was going through. The two were growing closer everyday.

After about two hours they crossed the state border and soon arrived at a hotel.

"Are you sure about this place?" Roxas asked Axel as they walked inside. "It looks really expensive…" He looked around at the luxurious looking place, seeing a dining hall and a pool area.

"Of course, Roxas. Places like this only cost about 300 a night anyways. And we just so happened to have made that much today."

They checked in and were informed that they would have to check out at 3:00 the next day. Roxas couldn't hide the excitement from his face as they walked down the fancy hallways. He had never stayed at a hotel before.

Once they entered their room Roxas immediately ran over to the bed and belly-flopped onto it, pulling the sheets up to his face, breathing in their fresh scent._ Ah, this is so nice…._

Suddenly Roxas felt a hand squeeze his butt as Axel crawled on top of him. Roxas jumped a little and felt his cheeks turn pink. He was now face down underneath Axel….on a bed. Axel nuzzled his neck and whispered in his ear, "So what do you want to do first, Roxas?"

* * *

**End Note: **So now you have seen what Roxas's life was like before Axel. He thought he was tough shit, and he made a huge mistake. Poor kid. I'm sorry I made him use the word 'faggot', but I really wanted to emphasize how much Axel has already changed him (and not just in the sense that Roxas wants in his pants).


	9. Sexual Frustration

**Disclaimer: **Kingdom Hearts characters are still owned by Disney and Square Enix.**  
**

**Author's note: **Ha, writing this fanfic is so bad for my school grades. I seriously finding myself having to say "Okay, Michele. At 4 you are going to stop working on this story and do your economics homework." And it totally ends up not happening. But anyways, this chapter actually took a long time for me to write. I rewrote a bunch of parts over and over again trying to get them a way I liked. I've reread it so many times that I hate it. I hope you all enjoy it though. Thank you again to all of my awesome reviewers. I'm so glad you all liked the last chapter, thank you for your feedback.

**Partners in Crime**

**Chapter Nine: Sexual Frustration **

* * *

"So what do you want to do first, Roxas?" Axel whispered into the boy's ear from on top of him.

Roxas quickly flipped over his position on the bed before Axel could pin him down and get any ideas. He looked up into the man's face, who was gazing at him longingly. Roxas laughed nervously and asked, "W-what do you want to do?"

Axel grinned down at him. "Oh, I think you know…" he breathed, then leaned down and kissed Roxas passionately. Roxas closed his eyes and kissed back, running a hand up Axel's chest and onto the back of his neck. As they kissed, Axel slowly pulled Roxas's shirt up to his neck and caressed the teen's abdomen. Axel didn't know if he could hold back any longer, he wanted Roxas so bad. He moaned softly as he began to kiss Roxas harder and deeper, not willing to stop.

Finally, he and Roxas were together someplace decent, and the chance of interruptions was slim...

After a while Roxas broke away, panting, needing to get some air. Wow. Axel had never kissed him like this before…

Axel only continued to kiss him, on his cheek, his neck, his collar bone, his chest, and moved his way down until he reached his waist. He slowly began to slide Roxas's pants off when Roxas sat up abruptly and grabbed Axel's hand.

"No, Axel." He said breathlessly.

Axel just leaned forward to kiss Roxas again and moaned between kisses,

"Come…on…Roxas…mmm…" He removed his own shirt and kissed Roxas again and again, then tried once more to remove Roxas's pants.

"No!" Roxas pushed Axel off of him.

Axel groaned and sat back. "Roxas, you're such a tease…" He pouted.

Roxas crossed his arms. Axel was somewhat right in calling him that…though he wasn't about to admit it out loud. He shouldn't have led Axel on like that…_I mean, here we are, on a bed, kissing each other like crazy. Of course Axel's going to want to take it to the next level._ But Roxas wasn't sure if he was ready for that. He had only known Axel for about 2 weeks after all (though it did seem like a lot longer than that). "I…I'm not ready to do that yet, Axel."

Axel's hopes suddenly rose. _Yet? That means he will eventually… _He sighed. "Well, what do you want to do Roxas? I'll do whatever you want to do…"

Roxas gave him an appreciative smile at that. Considering how many people Axel had supposedly been with, he was still willing to wait for Roxas, which Roxas really was grateful for.

"You know what would be nice?" Roxas said. "Going down to the pool. I haven't had a good swim in ages, and I think it would really help me relax."

_Hmmm…going for a swim…Roxas would have his shirt off…be half naked…it would loosen him up…_Axel really couldn't help thinking this way. He had almost gotten into Roxas's pants just now, after all. And he still wanted to so badly. Maybe jumping on Roxas a soon as they got into the hotel room _was_ moving a little too fast though... Well, swimming was an okay alternative he decided. But only because Roxas would be half naked. He nodded, "Sure."

The hotel had provided them with their own towels and they had a selection of different sized black boxer-style bathing suits to choose from in one of the drawers. Axel laughed when he saw how wide Roxas's eyes grew in amazement when he saw this. Axel grabbed a suit and began to take his pants off right in front of Roxas, hoping he would do the same. Of course, Roxas didn't, his cheeks turned beet red and he quickly grabbed a suit for himself and ran into the bathroom to change. Axel couldn't help but laugh in amusement at this. He slung his towel over his shoulder after getting changed and leaned on the counter of the room as he waited for Roxas.

After a minute Roxas slowly opened the door to the bathroom, peaking out to make sure Axel wasn't going to tackle him. He didn't know why he was so paranoid…or….why he was holding back…He saw Axel waiting for him innocently and he wrapped his towel around his body self-consciously. Axel stepped forward, "Let's go!" he said cheerfully. He opened the door of the hotel room, and Roxas stepped out after him.

Axel walked down the hallway very comfortable in his half nakedness. Roxas only wrapped his towel tighter around his body as people walked by. Once again, all the woman oogled at Axel's body. Roxas gritted his teeth. He didn't know how long he would go in this relationship before snapping one of their necks. But Roxas suspected that Axel enjoyed the attention.

They arrived at the pool area and found that no one was in it. _Yeeeessss!_ Axel mentally punched a fist into the air in triumph. He glanced around at the area. It was really nice. The room was large, white and had plastic deck chairs throughout it. The pool had crystal clear water and had 2 mini waterfalls in it. And he spotted, much to his delight, a hot tub. Axel quickly grabbed Roxas's hand before he could head into the pool.

"Roxas, look, there's a hot tub! Let's go in that, that'll be sure to relax you!"

Before Roxas could protest Axel pulled him over to it and got in. He sank into the warm bubbling water and closed his eyes. "Ahhh…" Yeah. It felt good.

Roxas hesitated, looking back at the pool. But it wouldn't be any fun swimming without Axel, so he cautiously stepped into the hot water and sat down on the seat. Bubbles that were shooting from jets hit Roxas's back and it felt _really _great. Roxas sighed in delight and closed his eyes, enjoying it. Axel scooted over in the tub so he was next to Roxas and slid his hand around the boy's waist. Roxas lazily opened one eye and smiled at him. He moved so that he was resting his head on Axel's chest.

"So where are we going to go after this, Axel?" Roxas asked, keeping his eyes closed.

"I have a friend up in Maine that we can stay with for a while…"

"Oh. Okay." Roxas didn't really feel like pressing Axel for details right now. He just wanted to relax. They both wanted to relax. Being on the run from the law was extremely stressful, after all. Roxas sighed deeply, enjoying the comfort of the water and Axel's chest.

After a half an hour of relaxation, Roxas felt Axel start to shift uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?"

Axel sighed. "It's just this cramp I have in my neck." He said irritably, rubbing it. "Sorry, it's just from driving for all those hours."

Roxas lifted his head off of Axel and took his hands out of the water. He brought them up to Axel's neck and began to massage it. Axel let out a light moan and closed his eyes. After a minute Roxas moved his hands down to Axel's shoulders and eventually to his back.

"Better?" Roxas asked with a smile after a few minutes.

"Mmm…oh yeah…thanks so much, Roxas."

"It's the least I could do after everything you've done for me." Roxas said sincerely as he removed his hands.

Axel turned towards him with a smile and said, "Wanna do me another favor then?"

Roxas blushed a little under his stare. He hoped Axel wasn't referring to sexual favors… "Um, what?"

Axel leaned forward and simply said, "Kiss me."

Oh. That was all? Roxas's worried look turned into a small smile. He repositioned himself so that he was sitting on Axel's lap. Axel put his hands on the boy's waist and smiled contently at him, eyes half closed. Roxas placed his hands on Axel's face gently and kissed him. There was no rush to the kiss like in the bedroom before, no tongues, no expectations, no wandering hands. The two just sat happily in the warm water, kissing each other softly and slowly. Each didn't know how long it was until Axel pulled away.

"Someone's coming…"

Roxas quickly got off of Axel and turned around, trying to act as casual as possible. He saw a cute little blonde-haired girl in pigtails trying to run over to the pool. Her mother was chasing after her, yelling, "Slow down!" and trying to catch her little daughter. Roxas smiled over at Axel at seeing this cuteness but Axel rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Let's get out of here." He groaned, sounding disappointed, quickly kissing Roxas on the forehead and then getting out. Roxas pouted. He wanted to stay…the water was so nice.

They walked quietly back to their room, dripping the whole way and got dressed. Axel sat on the table next to the window, opened it, and began smoking. Roxas laid down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Axel?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you like me so much?" Roxas had wanted to ask him this for a while, ever since Axel told him that he was falling for him. Finally he got the courage to ask.

Axel laughed quietly and took a drag from his cigarette. "You're… different. You're different from anyone I've ever met. I used to not care about other people at all. I would just use them. You're the first person I have cared about in a long time…I actually don't think I've ever been more attached to anyone else in my life…"

Roxas sat up on his elbows and looked at Axel. "Really?"

Axel nodded. "Yeah…it's kind of…funny. I feel like I have known you for all of my life. Like I've been waiting for you. Even though we can never stay in one place for too long, even though it sucks to be out on the run…I haven't been happier." He laughed. "Man, that sounds really stupid. But yeah, that's why I like you. I don't know what I would do without you, now." He carelessly flicked ashes from his cigarette out the window, not looking at Roxas.

Roxas stared at his stomach, thinking about what Axel had said. He wondered how Axel could like him so much…he felt like he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve the good feelings he felt around Axel. He deserved to be locked up in jail. But what Axel said made sense to him, too. He felt the same…like he had known Axel all of his life. And like he wanted to be with him for the rest of his life…he raised his head to say something, just in time to see the red head jumping out the window.

"Axel! What the hell are you doing?!" Roxas yelled after him, getting off the bed and running over the window which was only a few feet off the ground. He leaned out into the dark and Axel beckoned him to follow. Roxas looked at him like he was crazy.

"Come on Roxas, come help me with this." Axel grinned at him, taking a drag from the cigarette, then tossing it to the pavement, grounding it out with his foot.

"With what?" Roxas hissed. _Way to ruin a moment, Axel._ _Just as I'm about to talk about my feelings you jump out a fucking window!_

Axel pointed to a car happily. "They have a license from the same state as us!"

"…So?"

"_Soooo, _we can switch license plates with them!" Axel crossed his arms. _Duh._

Roxas awkwardly crawled out of the window. "Are you serious? Someone might see us!"

"You worry too much," Axel said as he opened his trunk, pulling out a tool box. He leaned down and began to unscrew his license place. Roxas glanced around nervously and then bent down next to Axel. "What do you want me to do?"

"Go take off my front one." Axel told him, handing him a screwdriver.

15 minutes later the two stood in front of the two cars, admiring their work. Axel smiled at Roxas. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about our car being recognized, right?"

"Righ…whoa, what?_Our _car?" Roxas gaped at Axel. Did he just call it _their_ car?

"What? Yeah, our car. What's wrong?"

Wow. "Does that mean I can drive it sometime?"

Axel laughed, and messed up Roxas's hair with his hand. "Don't get your hopes up, kid. I may like you, but not that much."

They climbed back into the room and Roxas's stomach growled loudly. Axel raised an eyebrow. "I'm hungry…" Roxas stated. Thank you, Captain Obvious.

Axel grinned. "That's what room service is for." He picked up the phone to order dinner.

* * *

Roxas was finishing up his ice cream when he suddenly felt Axel scoot closer to him. Roxas was sitting on the edge of the bed with Axel behind him, and he felt Axel slide his legs around his own so their legs were hugging closely together. Axel wrapped his right arm around Roxas's shoulder and nestled his head on Roxas's left shoulder, pulling him in close. Roxas felt cool breath brush his neck as Axel let out a soft sigh. Roxas smiled and turned his head to look at Axel.

"You're a messy eater." Axel smirked at him; he leaned in and slowly licked a drip of ice cream off of Roxas's chin. Roxas blushed and Axel said, "Sorry, I couldn't resist." Their lips were only an inch or two apart and Roxas leaned in and connected them. The two kissed tenderly for a while until Roxas pulled away, saying that he wanted a shower. Roxas got up off the bed letting Axel's arms slide off of his body.

"Can I join you?" Axel grinned devilishly.

Roxas turned to look at the man who was gazing at him expectantly. He only smiled and stepped towards Axel, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. Axel's grin faded and he looked down and Roxas's hand in surprise. When he looked up again Roxas pressed his lips onto Axel's firmly. He then pulled back by only a few inches, leaving Axel staring at his lips, wanting more.

"No."

And with that Roxas walked casually into the bathroom.

Axel stared at the ground for a few seconds in the position Roxas had left him in. For some odd reason he felt like jumping on the bed and throwing a tantrum, beating his fists on it like a toddler. But he controlled himself. His thought process, though, was something along the lines of:_ GoddamnRoxasismakingmesogoddamnsexuallyfrustratedWhatalittleteaseHeknowshewantsmeRawr._

Yeah. This hotel room stay wasn't exactly working out the way Axel had planned. And Axel hadn't planned anything elaborate. Just Roxas and him, naked on a bed, having hot sex. Was that so wrong? Why was Roxas playing so hard to get?

Roxas found himself laughing quietly as he turned on the shower. It was actually quite amusing to tease Axel…though he did feel a little guilty….oh well.

Axel groaned and pulled off the shirt and pants that he had put on only about an hour ago. He flopped down on the bed in his boxers and turned on the TV. He swung his feet carelessly around in the air as he scrolled through the movies that the hotel had to offer. _Hmm. They have pornos. Let's check those out, shall we?_ He scrolled through them, tsk'ing at the fact that most of them all involved some blonde with big boobs. Hellooo. Get some variety. He ended up finding a bisexual porno…but then he figured Roxas wouldn't be into it. Anyway, Axel didn't want Roxas exposed to anyone's naked body. Except for his own. Axel ended up just turning the channel to Nickelodeon so he wouldn't have to pay for ordering a movie. Axel sighed and flipped over on the bed so he was looking at the TV upside down. He sighed, wondering when Roxas would come out of the shower.

20 minutes later Roxas walked out of the bathroom in his boxers. Axel didn't even notice, he was too busy staring at the TV screen. Roxas smiled mischievously and jumped onto the bed. Axel hardly even had time to look up before Roxas had swung both his legs over Axel's waist so that he was sitting on top of him.

"Miss me?" He asked cutely, grabbing the remote out of Axel's hand.

"Hey! Give that back!"

Roxas held the remote out of reach and turned off the TV.

"I was watching that!"

Roxas tossed the remote carelessly aside and asked suggestively, "Sure you wouldn't rather do something else?"

Axel raised his eyebrows. Roxas? Being suggestive? What the hell was going on? Oh. Roxas must be teasing him again.

"Look, Roxas, I'm sorry for trying to put pressure on you lately."

"Axel-" Roxas was interrupted by Axel putting a finger on his lips.

"No, no. Let me finish. I'm just happy having you around, and just being here with you. That's all I need, alright?"

To Axel's surprise, Roxas grabbed Axel's hand and said, "I'm glad to hear that, Axel. But you know what? I'm tired of holding back." Roxas leaned down and kissed him. He made a movement to remove his boxers but Axel's hand caught his.

"Wait. Are you sure, Roxas?"

Roxas only kissed Axel again, moaning between kisses, "Come…on…Axel…mmm" just like Axel had done when they had first got into the hotel room. Axel grinned, grabbed the blonde and rolled over him so that he was now on top of him. The two continued to kiss as Axel moved his hands down to Roxas's boxers…

* * *

Roxas awoke in the morning finding himself in Axel's arms. He yawned and looked at the time. 1:30 pm?! What the hell? How did they manage to sleep in so late? Were they really up that late…?

Roxas turned and shook Axel slightly. "Axel, get up, we have to be out of here in an hour and a half!"

Axel didn't open his eyes; he just pulled Roxas in closer in to his body. He nuzzled his head against Roxas's and whined, "I don't wanna…"

Roxas sat up, pushing Axel's arms off of him. "Come on Axel!" He got out of the bed and pulled the covers off of the red head.

Axel just whined some more and curled up into a ball.

Roxas groaned and pulled on a pair of jeans and a white tee-shirt. He sat on the edge of the bed and was putting his socks on when finally he felt Axel getting up.

"What?! 1:40?! We have to be outta here in an hour and 20 minutes! Hurry up, Roxas!"

* * *

After they had went into the dining hall for lunch (in which they got some really homophobic looks when Axel insisted on feeding Roxas and felt him up while he did so) they checked out of the hotel.

Roxas input the destination to the city in Maine that they were headed to once they got into the car. It was going to take them about 4 hours to get there…joy. The two joked for a while about what had happened during lunched and they discussed the person Axel was taking them to stay with but soon Roxas found himself falling asleep. Axel let him doze off, glancing occasionally at him fondly. He couldn't help it; Roxas looked so cute when he slept. They only stopped to get food and gas and soon Axel informed Roxas that they were almost to their destination.

"So how do you know this person again?" Roxas asked, yawning. "Sorry, I must have been half asleep when you told me before."

"I knew him in high school," Axel explained, sounding tired. He had been driving for hours, after all. "He's a little…odd. But he's the only person I know who lives by themselves in a remote area. He's the most convenient person, really." Axel shrugged. "Unless you'd like to go back to that slut's place…"

"Ugh, don't even joke about that bitch!" Roxas said and Axel laughed.

Finally, Axel pulled the camaro into the gravel driveway of a small ranch house in the woods. Roxas got out, stretching as he looked around. This person had a lot of land. And there was snow up here! Roxas shivered a little bit, rubbing his arms. He looked over to see Axel ringing the doorbell of the house. A man with long silver hair answered the door. Actually, the only reason Roxas knew it was a guy was because Axel had told him so previously. This guy had one girly hair style.

Roxas walked up to the door, hands in his pockets. Axel was saying, "…thanks again, man. Oh, this is my friend Roxas. Roxas, this is Riku."

Riku looked Roxas up and down with a strange expression on his face. "Hi." Was all that Riku said, pretty much monotonously.

_Hmm. _Roxas thought. _This should be an interesting stay._

* * *

**End note: **Whoa. It's Riku. Wtf? Yeah. NONE of you guessed it would be him. But there is a _very _specific reason why I choose him, that you guys are going to like. So if you don't like Riku, don't flip out. He has his purpose.

And sorry if you're disappointed that I gave Axel and Roxas their privacy in the hotel room. I have never written a lemon before, and I don't think I would be comfortable doing that. And I would probably suck at it too. So just use your imagination.


	10. The So Called Friend

**Disclaimer: **You should know by now.

**Author's note: **So I had a dream that Quinton Flynn cosplayed as Axel. Let me just say, the man may do Axel's voice, but he does NOT look like him at ALL. It was really freaking weird...

So this chapter has bumped the rating of my story up to Mature. My pervertedness got the better of me and I ended up writing a little lemony goodness...no worries, it's barely anything.

Anyways, thanks so much to all of my amazing reviewers! You are the only reason why I write. Seriously, I really appreciate you taking time out of your life to comment on my writing. It encourages me so much. Oh man, I can't express my thanks enough. I wish all of you who have this on alerts would review. Please enjoy this next chapter.

**Partners in Crime**

**Chapter Ten: The So-Called Friend**

* * *

Roxas played with the food on his plate uncomfortably, trying to act like he didn't notice Riku was staring at him. After he and Axel brought their stuff inside Riku had told them that Axel could stay in the spare room and Roxas could sleep on the couch. Automatically things became awkward...the conversation went a little something like this:

"No, it's alright; Roxas and I can sleep in the same room."

Riku stared. "Oh. So you're _that _type of friend." He stated, looking at Roxas.

Roxas blushed and Axel scratched the back of his head. "Y…yeah…" they said unanimously.

Axel had gone off into the room to sleep and now Riku and Roxas were having dinner together. And extremely awkwardly dinner. Why? One, because Roxas barely even knew anything about this guy. Two, Riku would not stop staring at him and it was getting really fucking annoying. And it wasn't like it was an uptight-glare type of stare. It was more a curious one, like he was studying Roxas.

Roxas hoped that they would not being staying here for long. They were only an hour or two away from Canada, after all! He decided he should probably try to make some conversation, since he was going to be staying here.

"So how'd you an Axel become friends?" He asked curiously.

"He was in my gym class." Riku shrugged from across the table. "We made a good team. I'm always willing to help Axel out."

Wow. This guy was really descriptive.

"How'd you and Axel become lovers?" Riku sat forward as he said this, brushing his bangs out of his eyes.

Roxas choked on his food. He laughed nervously, "Um, that's a long story…" He shoved some more food in his mouth so he wouldn't have to talk anymore. The conversation thing was a bad idea. And he really didn't want to tell this guy the details about him and Axel…

The rest of the dinner passed in awkward silence and afterwards Riku rose, saying he needed to head to work. Roxas said goodbye and internally jumped for joy. Ugh. He understood that he and Axel needed to stay places that were best for hiding out…but seriously. This was almost worse than that slut.

After wandering around the house for a while, looking for something to do, Roxas pulled on a green sweater and walked outside, shoving his hands in his pockets. He gazed out at the beautiful scenery, his breath visible from the cold. Wow. It really was gorgeous here. He stepped down from the doorstep and began walking towards the forest. He might as well explore a little bit while Axel was sleeping. His feet crunched through the glistening snow, and he sighed happily. Well, at least there was one good thing about staying here, it was beautiful. He was almost to a group of trees when he felt a ball of snow hit the back of his head. He gasped, stiffening and shuddering as remainders of it melted down his neck. He turned around slowly to see who his attacker was.

Axel.

Axel was in his trench coat, laughing hysterically. Roxas's fists shook at his sides and he growled with anger. What an asshole. First leaving him to have dinner all alone with the girly man from hell, then ruins what was going to be a nice nature walk. Roxas turned and stooped down to make a snowball of his own and felt a snowball hit his butt. Axel laughed some more. Roxas aimed a snowball at him but narrowly missed.

Axel was now bent over, clutching his stomach from laughter. Oh, man. That set up was just perfect. He had woken up, wondering where Roxas was, and found him out in the snow, completely vulnerable. The kid was just asking to get hit with a snowball. Axel's laughter died and he was finally able to breathe again. He looked up to see Roxas running towards him, a determined expression on his face.

_Oh shit…_

Axel turned and tried to run back to the house, but it was too late. Roxas tackled him from behind, causing Axel to fall face first into the snow. Roxas laughed maniacally from his sitting position on Axel, pinning him down.

"Rockashpeasegetorf" Axel mumbled from the snow.

"Huh?"

"GET. ORF."

Roxas lifted himself up and Axel rolled over. Roxas sat back down on him again and smiled triumphantly. The red head wiped snow off his face and smiled lopsidedly at the teen.

"Hey there, Roxas."

"Hi. Have a nice sleep?"

"Yup."

"That's great." Roxas said sarcastically. "Because I was stuck here all alone with Riku! What is with that guy? Why are you even friends with him?"

Axel laughed. "Ah, I'm sorry. I was just really tired. And he takes a bit of getting used to."

"Getting used to? He would not stop staring at me!"

"Really? Huh." Axel murmured, thinking, and then said casually, "I wouldn't worry about it."

"Of course _you_ wouldn't…" Roxas said, crossing his arms.

Axel sat up and kissed Roxas. "Don't worry about it." He whispered to him, running a hand through the blonde's hair. Almost instantly Roxas felt more relaxed. "Riku's probably just wondering why we're staying with him. I haven't gotten the chance to tell him why yet, after all."

"…What are you going to tell him?"

Axel smiled and looked down at the snow. "Uh…I don't know yet. Not sure if telling him the whole story would be the best thing."

"Yeah." Roxas agreed.

"I'll think of something." Axel said reassuringly. He pulled Roxas's face in to his and kissed him, sliding his tongue into his mouth. They kissed in the snow until Axel pulled away and said, "Let's go do this somewhere else, I'm freezing my ass off." He grabbed Roxas's butt and stood, picking the boy up along with him.

"Whaaa!" Roxas cried in surprise, wrapping his arms around Axel's neck and his legs around Axel's waist frantically to make sure he didn't fall over. "Axel, put me down!" he cried nervously.

Axel only laughed and carried a somewhat struggling Roxas back up to the house. Once they got to the door Axel set Roxas down and pinned him against it. He kissed him roughly, pressing up against him. He really couldn't keep his hands off the boy. Once he heard Roxas moan his name, he couldn't stop himself. "Let's go inside and make some heat." He said softly.

"No…Axel…" Roxas sighed. "I don't feel comfortable doing that in someone else's house."

Axel groaned and pulled away. "Oh come on, Roxas! He won't know! Besides, he's my friend, and friends always let friends get laid." He leaned in for another kiss but Roxas turned his face away. Axel sighed and kissed him on his cheek. "Fine, I understand. Let's just watch TV or something, then." Ugh. TV was so boring compared to making out with Roxas…

* * *

Fifteen minutes into the movie they were watching Roxas felt Axel run a hand up his leg. "Axel…" he warned, grabbing Axel's hand.

"What? Come on, this movie is so _boring._" He whined, leaning towards Roxas.

"Axel, it only just started!"

"I'm sorry Roxas; I just can't control myself around you…" He pulled Roxas into him with the hand that Roxas was holding, wrapping his other arm around Roxas's waist. He kissed the blonde, intertwining his fingers with Roxas's. Roxas gave in, kissing back, "You're pretty irresistible yourself, Axel…" he breathed, pulling away and running a hand through Axel's hair.

"Then how come you're able to resist me so easily?" Axel asked him with a questioning smile.

"It's not easy, believe me…" Roxas whispered, kissing the man again. He allowed Axel to lower him so he was lying against the arm of the couch. As Axel kissed his neck he said, "Axel…did you and Riku ever…" Roxas trailed off, looking away from the man.

Axel stopped and raised himself up, looking at Roxas incredulously. "No!" Axel said, sounding disgusted. "Oh, God, no. Ew." He laughed, smoothing out Roxas's hair with his hand. "No, Riku's just a friend." He sat up now and ran his fingers through his own hair, smiling. "Man, you get jealous easily, don't you?"

Roxas felt heat rise up to his cheeks and he sat up too, saying "No, I was just wondering!"

Axel only grinned wider and slung and arm around the Roxas's shoulder, resting his head against the boy's soft blonde hair. "Whatever you say, Roxas. Now let's finish watching this movie, it looks like it's finally starting to get interesting," he said as someone on screen got shot in the head.

* * *

Axel took a drag on his cigarette, glancing over at Riku, who was sitting in a chair on the porch next to him.

"…So let me get this straight. Roxas's father was abusing him. You found him on the street and took him back to your place to take care of him. One thing led to another and now you're with each other. And you're going to Canada so Roxas never has to go back to his dad. Is that right? Why didn't you just go to the police about it?" Riku asked Axel suspiciously after summarizing the lies Axel had been feeding to him.

"Uh, Roxas's dad is a police man! Head of the department in fact. No one would have believed it. Besides, Roxas already was little delinquent, they would have just thought him a liar." Axel thought up quickly. Alright that story was believable enough…he hoped. "Don't worry; we'll be out of here in a few days."

Riku sighed and leaned back in his chair. His expression was unreadable. "Well, I'm glad I'm able to help out. Poor kid."

"Yeah," Axel agreed, bringing the cigarette back towards his mouth. "Poor kid." Sadly that was the only statement Axel could say was true out of everything he had told Riku…

"Do you love him?"

Axel coughed, flicking ashes off of his cigarette. "Excuse me?"

"I asked you if you love him." Riku repeated.

Axel ground his cigarette out, standing up abruptly, making Riku jump a little. For some reason that question really pissed Axel off. He crossed his arms and looked out at the forest. "That's none of your business, Riku."

* * *

Roxas flipped over his position for what felt like the one hundredth time night, sighing deeply. He heard Axel groan and then mumble, "Go to sleep Roxas…"

Roxas turned towards the man, who was clutching onto his pillow, eyes closed and brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, Axel, I just can't stop thinking about Riku."

"Go into his room then…" Axel mumbled.

"I'm serious Axel. I think he's suspicious." Roxas whispered worriedly.

Axel groaned and flipped over, opening his eyes a little and looking up at the ceiling. He brought a hand to his face and rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes. "How many times do I tell you not worry, that nothing's going to happen, and then everything turns out fine?"

"Hmm, let's see. First, you assure me that it's safe to be out in public but then my face is on the front page of a newspaper. Then a policeman shows up at our door, you insist he has no clue who I am, then he ends up calling the whole department on our asses."

Axel rolled over and propped himself up on his elbow. "That may be, but how about when we went gambling, huh? You were worried, and nothing happened!"

"Yeah, something happened. You got picked up by a slut!"

"And you were worried that I would sleep with her, but I didn't! And then, you were worried about using her credit card. But that turned out fine, didn't it? You were worried someone would catch us swapping license plates, too, but no one did."

Roxas was silent.

"And then…" Axel continued, running a hand up Roxas's leg. "You were worried about having sex with me." Roxas's heart race quickened as he felt Axel's hand reach in between his legs. "But that turned out fine, didn't it?" Axel leaned down, kissed Roxas and slid his hand into the boy's pants. "No, it didn't turn out fine…" He breathed between kisses as Roxas moaned at Axel's caressing movements. "No…it turned out amazing." Axel now felt fully awake and moved himself over so he was on top of Roxas. The younger boy was gasping too much to respond and Axel grinned. "And don't I always have to do something to relax you?" He whispered into Roxas's ear, nibbling on it. "Not that I'm complaining…" Roxas arched under him, moaning loudly as Axel's hand quickened its pace. "A…Axel…you should stop…" he whimpered. "Riku might…" Roxas trailed off with a gasp of pleasure. "…Riku might hear us…"

"You worry too much…" Axel said softly, returning once more to Roxas's mouth, kissing him deeply.

* * *

Roxas awoke to find himself alone in the bed, the sheets disheveled next to him. He could still see the indent that Axel's body had made on the bed. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing at the clock. It was almost noon. Roxas groggily got out of bed and stretched, walking out into the kitchen where Riku was making breakfast.

"Where's Axel?"

"He went out to buy some groceries for me. He insisted on doing so, to pay me back for letting you guys stay here. I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you."

Roxas sat down in one of the chairs, eyeing Riku warily and mumbled "thanks". He had no idea what Axel had told him about himself and he hoped Riku wouldn't press the matter.

"Here." Riku said, holding out some waffles to Roxas, who happily took them. Huh. Riku seemed a bit friendlier this morning.

"Hey, my favorite show is on, I don't want you eating in here alone, come watch it with me." Riku said, inclining his head towards the living room. Roxas smiled and carried his plate in, sitting on the couch next to the man.

Riku turned on the TV looking excited. It was the first time Roxas actually saw him smile. Roxas turned back to see what Riku was so intent on watching. His face turned into one of disbelief when he saw what channel Riku had turned to. The _Disney _channel?

Riku's grin widened when a boy with brown, spiky hair popped on screen. The intro to the show began, showing the characters of Donald Duck and Goofy. "This is my all-time favorite show!" Riku said excitedly. "I never miss it." He turned towards Roxas and his grin faded, he did a double take looking between boy that was on the screen and Roxas. "Whoa…you look just like Sora!"

Roxas made a face and crossed his arms. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He heard it all the time. Especially from the annoying little preteens at school. Yes, he was always being told about what a striking resemblance he had to the teen heartthrob. "Look, I'm going to go back into the kitchen to eat, okay? I don't like this show." Roxas moved to get up but saw Riku turn off the TV. He turned back towards him questionably and found the man's cerulean eyes staring into his own. "I knew there was something about you…" Riku breathed leaning forward. "I knew it…as soon as I saw you…but I just couldn't place my finger on it."

Riku was now dangerously close to him and Roxas felt extremely uncomfortable and was getting increasingly weirded out.

"I'm Sora's number one fan…and you look just like him." Riku said, suddenly grabbing Roxas by the waist and pulling him in close to him. Roxas gasped and tried to push Riku off of himself. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Riku glanced over at the front door of the house, and then turned back to Roxas with a smirk. "You know…Axel's not going to be back for a while…" Riku said, nuzzling Roxas's neck. Roxas pushed at him, "Get off of me!"

"Wow. You even have Sora's eyes! Do you mind if I call you Sora?"

"Yes, I mind!"

"I know you're with Axel…but that's okay…you can call me Axel if you'd like…I can even act like him," Riku explained, while Roxas still squirmed to get out of his grasp. "Listen: Sora, you're a sexy bitch, got it memorized?" Riku said, trying and failing miserably at imitating Axel's voice. "See?"

Roxas pitched himself forward trying to escape so that both of the men fell off of the couch. "Sora, what are you doing?" Riku still had a firm grasp on Roxas's pants and as the boy tried to crawl away they were pulled down a little. "Aw, don't try to play hard to get, Sora…" Riku whined.

"Axel!" Roxas cried in desperation, feeling Riku pulling his pants down more.

"That's right, I'm Axel, got it memorized? Mmm…" Riku sighed deeply as he clutched onto Roxas from behind in a forced hug. "I wonder if Sora feels like you, too. I bet he smells just as good, or better!"

As much as Roxas tried to get away, Riku was bigger than him and had a firm grip. Riku grabbed the boy and flipped him over, grasping onto Roxas's wrists, pinning him down.

"Now Sora-"

Riku was interrupted by the front door swinging open, "Hey I'm back with- WHAT THE FUCK?!" Axel cried, dropping the groceries and staring at the scene in the living room.

"Axel! Help!" Roxas yelped from underneath Riku.

Axel rushed over and pulled Riku off of Roxas, throwing the man aside. First he stooped down to Roxas, making sure no clothing was removed. "Are you alright Roxas?" He asked, not being able to hide the concern in his voice.

"Yeah…" Roxas managed to say.

Now Axel turned on Riku, who was pushing himself up off of the floor. Axel grabbed him by his collar and slammed him against the wall.

Riku tried to pull away, explaining nervously "Axel, let me explain…h-he just looks so much like Sora! It's not like I actually like-"

"Shut the fuck up, Riku," he growled, pulling a fist back to punch him.

"Don't!" Roxas cried from the ground.

Axel turned his head to look back at Roxas, confused. "Roxas, this so called _friend _of mine just tried to fuck you while I was out getting fucking groceries! _Please _don't tell me you _don't_ want me to beat the living shit out of him!"

Roxas pulled his pants up and stood, brushing himself off. "No, Axel." He said, walking up to Axel and placing a hand on the arm that was holding Riku. He looked up into the man's face and said, "Let's just go pack our things, and get out of here."

Axel stared at him, then looked back at Riku who was trying still trying to escape his grasp. After a moment Axel released him. "Fine."

Riku grabbed Roxas's arm as he and Axel headed towards the spare room. "Oh thank you, Sora- I mean, Roxas!"

Axel turned around and punched him in the face.

* * *

Roxas gathered his things uncomfortably as he listened to Axel cursing under his breath about Riku.

"Axel, where can we go now?" he asked cautiously, trying to stop the red head's rant.

Axel straightened up from packing his suitcase and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I don't _know _Roxas!" he cried, frustrated. "I don't want someone to fucking _molest _you again." He looked over at Roxas, who looked hurt at his outburst, even a little ashamed. "Um…we could go stay with my pal Luxord." Axel said quickly, calmer this time. "Guy's a fucking _master_ at cards; he taught me everything I know."

Axel tossed a pair of pants into his suitcase and walked over to Roxas, pulling him into an embrace. He sighed deeply as he held him, trying to relax himself.

"Look, don't worry Roxas. Everything will be fine," he reassured the boy, running his fingers through the blonde's hair. "I'm so sorry about Riku…but seriously..." He pulled away and held Roxas as arm's length, "Please let me kick his ass."

Roxas smiled a little and said, "No. It would be pointless."

"Oh no, there would be a point. Revenge, Roxas. R-E-V-E-N-G-E. Got it memorized?"

"Please, just don't. Don't waste your time."

Axel sighed and kissed Roxas on the forehead. "Fine. But only because you asked me not to."

The distant sound of police car's sirens reached the two men's ears, breaking the moment.

Roxas stiffened in fear and Axel's eyes widened. "What the..."

Axel threw open the door to the spare room and stormed into the kitchen where Riku was holding his nose with a blood soaked tissue. The sounds of the police cars sounded like they were coming closer.

"Did you call the fucking police on me for punching you in the face, you little pussy?" he asked in disbelief.

"No," Riku said defiantly. "I called the police because of the real reason you're here. Because your little Sora clone is a murderer."

"What?!" Axel made a movement to rush at Riku, but he felt Roxas's hand wrap around his arm, holding him back, "Axel, let's just get out of here!"

"That's right." Riku smirked, ignoring Roxas. "I'm not an idiot. I did my research and I know that you two are on the run for killing some guy named Seifer. You shouldn't have lied to me, Axel. And you shouldn't have punched me in the face."

"Well you shouldn't have tried to fucking molest Roxas!" Axel cried, desperately trying to wrench his way out of Roxas's arms. "I should burn your fucking hair off, you fucking traitor!"

"Look who's talking, liar. I don't like my place being used as a hideout for criminals." Riku said, crossing his arms.

"Axel, let's go!" Roxas said anxiously, pulling at Axel's arm. "Come on, we're going to get caught!"

"Let me beat the shit out of this motherfucker first!" Axel yelled, breaking free of Roxas's grasp. He ran towards Riku, swinging at the man's face.

"AXEL!" Roxas cried frantically, hearing car tires on the gravel of driveway outside, the sirens screaming in his ears. "AXEL LET'S GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

Axel turned towards Roxas and his fury turned into fear, finally hearing the cars outside. Riku took advantage of this and punched Axel in the gut, running away from him. Axel doubled over, clutching his stomach. Roxas ran up to him and grabbed his hand, dragging him out of the front door as quickly as he could.

They were met by a semi-circle of police cars, the officers getting out and pointing guns at them.

"Don't move!" A man cried into a megaphone. "Put your hands in the air where we can see them!"

Roxas raised his hands into the air, shaking. _This can't be happening_…His heart was racing a million miles a minute; he looked over at Axel, who looked terrified. This scared Roxas even more. It was hopeless. They were caught.

* * *

**End note: **I love making Roxas such a worry wart...oh please don't hate me, Riku fans. I just couldn't resist the "Sora" thing. Just too funny for me to pass up. Not meant to be a bash against him.


	11. Without You

**Disclaimer: **I woke up and found a box next to my bed. I opened it and found a playstation 3 inside of it. I flipped out with joy, my mom must have bought it for me! I looked into the box again and there was Kingdom Hearts 3! I was like "wtf, how did she get this?! I'm totally not going to write my story when I get home today, I'm playing it!" As you probably guessed, this was just a dream. Of course I don't own these guys.

**Author's note: **This fic got added to a C2! "Axel&Roxas The unbreakable Bond" They claim to only post the "best" fanfics. If that's not a compliment, I don't know what is!

Sorry this took so long. The wait was caused by me working, me writing some other AkuRoku stuff (that's not been posted yet), and loads of homework. Also, I was reading other AkuRoku fanfics. I finished 'Waiting' by A Spot of Bother and I cried! If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. But anyways, I hope the wait was worth it because I really like this chapter. Thank you so much to all of my reviewers! A special shoutout to : I love you! She read both chapters 9 and 10 in one sitting yet reviewed them both separately. People who do that are the coolest. And her reviews are so nice and long as well. Thank you again!

**Partners in Crime**

**Chapter Eleven: Without You**

* * *

"Hey can I have a fucking smoke over here at least?"

"Shut the fuck up."

Axel groaned as he leaned back from the bar windows of his cell, looking away from the police man he had just addressed. It was his second day in a solitary cell, his only view point was just the bar window on the door. The rest of his scenery consisted of cement walls, a toilet, and a poor excuse for a bed. He walked over and sat on the shitty cot that was provided to him. He sighed and held his forehead in his hands, thinking.

He and Roxas had been carted off to the local police station, the whole ride passing in painful silence. Hands cuffed behind his back, Axel couldn't even bear to look at Roxas the whole way there. The feeling of failing his companion had not dissipated ever since. The two were separated once they arrived at the station, sharing one last painful glance, each taken to get ID'd, finger printed and their pictures taken. They were then taken to their separate holding cells. Luckily, Axel's was a single cell. He hoped that Roxas's was the same. And that the boy was okay.

_Shit…_

Axel punched the cot underneath him and laid down on it, staring up at the cement ceiling._This is all my fault_…He couldn't believe he had let this happen. He had completely lost it, if only he had listened to Roxas maybe they would have been able to get away. But no. He just _had_ to confront Riku. What a fucking dumbass he was…

_I'm so sorry, Roxas…_

Axel's thoughts were interrupted as he heard the sound of his cell opening. He sat up with a questioning look to see a blonde cop standing in the entrance of his cell. She smirked at him, hands on her hips. "Get up. You and I are going to have a little chat." She said snidely, motioning for him to come towards her. Axel studied her before he stood up. Her hair was slicked back, but had two strands straying from the rest, making her appearance seem somewhat like a cockroach. She held herself with an arrogant confidence, like she thought she could get whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. A smirk might have crossed Axel's face in amusement at her arrogance if the situation was a different one. Instead, he rose with a scowl and allowed her to cuff his hands behind his back and push him down the hallway. As they walked Axel glanced into the small, barred windows of the cells around him, trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of Roxas. Most of the cells were empty, since it was only the local police station criminals were only held there temporarily. He looked desperately from cell to cell. If he could only catch once glimpse of Roxas…just to know that he was doing okay…

"Hurry up!" The girl complained from behind him, giving him a hard shove. Finally, they reached a door outside of the hallway with the cells and pushed him into a room. The room was extremely small, with only a table with two chairs and a lamp hanging from the ceiling. The blonde motioned for him to take a seat and he obeyed. Axel knew what was coming. Good cop, bad cop.

"I'm Officer Larxene," the girl introduced herself with a bored air, leaning over the table towards him. "And you are going to answer every question I ask you." Axel looked past at her and at the corner of the room, refusing to make eye contact. She reached over and grabbed his face, turning it so he was looking straight at her. "We'll start simple." She explained, her tone of voice condescending. "How do you know Roxas?"

Axel only looked away from her still, not saying a word.

Larxene released his face and leaned back, placing her hands on her hips. "Don't be stupid, Axel. If you answer me now, it'll make things a lot easier for you. If you tell me what I want to know, you will be released."

Ha. As if that would make him talk. "And how will you know I'm not lying?" Axel asked her smoothly.

"Well, if you tell me what I want to hear, it won't matter if you're lying or not." She sneered. "Otherwise, it will take a while, but I'll get the truth out of you."

_Bring it, bitch._

"So, how do you know Roxas?"

Silence.

"How do you know Roxas?" Larxene repeated, slowly and firmly this time.

The interrogation continued on like this for a while, Larxene switched her questions every once in a while, still remaining in her calm, arrogant stature. Axel refused to answer her the whole time.

Larxene sighed and ran a hand along Axel's shoulders as she spoke, "Why were you helping Roxas hide out?"

Axel looked at her blankly.

Larxene turned to face him and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, bringing her face in close to his.

"Come on…you can tell me…"

Axel only focused on the same corner of the room he'd been so intently staring at the entire interrogation. He didn't like the fact that she was touching him…at all. If his hands weren't confined behind his back, he would've shoved her away from himself.

Axel looked up at her with a start as her felt her run a hand along his thigh. "I can make it worth your while if you tell me…"

"Don't touch me." Axel warned, turning his face away from hers. She only brought it back with a swift movement of her hand.

"I'll tell you what, every time you tell me something, I'll remove one article of clothing, hmm?" She whispered to him. "And if you sign this confession," she slid a piece of paper forward on the table, her hand still on his thigh, "maybe I might do some favors for you…"

"I thought I told you not to touch me." Axel growled.

"You're not the one who gets to give the orders." Larxene laughed. This was her classic technique of getting what she needed out of suspects. She was used to them trying to resist at first, but eventually they would give in. Hormones made her job so easy. "Except, in the end you can do with me what you will."

"And what makes you think that I even want to?" Axel asked coldly. "Sexual advances from an ugly bitch won't make me talk," he added, smirking up at her.

Larxene drew back, her seductive expression turning into a scowl. "How- how dare you!" She pulled her hand back and slapped Axel across the face. Her grin returned as she saw Axel's cheek begin to turn pink where she had hit him.

"So, you really are gay for the boy, aren't you?" She laughed.

Axel glared at her. "Just because I don't want you doesn't mean shit."

Larxene ignored him and pulled out her night stick, tossing it in her hands playfully. "Well, since you refuse to tell me the easy way…I'll just have to beat it out of you then, won't I?" Larxene smiled maliciously down at him, drawing her hand back and swinging hard…

* * *

"Shit…" Axel winced as he wiped some dried blood from the base of his ear, causing the wound to open again. Damn. That bitch could swing. Larxene had beaten him without remorse, throwing question after question at him. Eventually she grew bored of his silence and shoved him back into his cell, leaving him unable to lie down due the pain of the bruises she left on his body. Not long after, the guard opened his cell, informing him that he was allowed one phone call and of the amount of money he needed to bail himself out. He was told about how he would await trial and would be prosecuted if he failed to attend it, along with all the other obligations that went along with bail.

He stood in front of the phone, cursing himself for being such a loner.

The only number he could recall was Demyx's…

He picked up the phone and dialed.

"_Hello!"_ Came a cheery voice from the other end of the line.

"Hi, Demyx?" Axel's voice was hoarse and he cleared his throat. "It's Axel…"

"_Axel! Oh my god! So, do you finally want to have that tea party with me? I knew you'd give in someday! It'll be so much fun, believe me, it will be-"_

Axel closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall as he listened to Demyx ramble on and on. Why…why did he waste his one phone call on this guy…?

"Demyx, you really don't watch the news do you?" Axel interrupted.

"_Um…no! Why?"_

"I'm in jail." Axel replied bluntly.

"_Wuuuuuuuuh-what?!"_ Demyx asked incredulously from the other end. _"Axel, are you prank calling me again? Cause this one's not that funny!"_

Axel let an exasperated sigh. "No, Demyx, I'm serious. I…I need someone to bail me out. I'll pay you all the money back…"

"_Oh...um…well, sure!" _Demyx stammered, obviously he was_ not _used to this kind of request. _"Anything for a friend! Um…where are you?"_

"…Maine…"

"_Wuuuuuuuuh-what?!"_ Demyx cried for the second time.

* * *

"Listen, if you ask me about Roxas one more time I'll tell Larxene to add a few more bruises to ya." The guard walking by Axel's cell threatened. Axel had been continually asking him something about Roxas each time he walked by, and it was beginning to get on the man's nerves.

"Look, just tell me if he's allowed bail or not. Please." Axel pleaded.

"Shut up!" The man yelled, whacking his night stick against the bars of Axel's cell, causing the red head to jump back.

"W-well, hello there, officer!" A very familiar, nervous voice said, growing closer. The guard in front of Axel's cell glanced over at him with a funny look on his face, before turning towards the voice.

"You here to bail Axel out?"

"Uh-huh." Demyx replied. Axel could tell he was trying to sound as tough as possible…but he was failing miserably.

As soon as the guard unlocked the cell, Demyx flew into the cell, grabbing Axel's face. Axel drew back in surprise as Demyx looked up at him with huge, round eyes.

"What did they _do_to you?" He cried, his eyes darting around Axel's face and upper body in concern.

Axel pushed him off of himself and looked away. Demyx continued to stare; then turned to look out of the cell, squinting his eyes in an effort to look tough.

"Those bastards!"

Axel raised an eyebrow. He had never heard Demyx curse before. Huh. Yeah. It didn't fit him at all. Axel hoped he wouldn't do it again.

"Are you okay, Axel?" Demyx returned to him, placing his hands on his shoulders, making Axel wince and push him again. "When we get back to the apartments I'll take care of you."

"Um…thanks, Demyx, but that's not necessary." _Take care of me? No thanks…_

"Really, Axel, I have a first aid kit and everything-"

"Let's just go, Demyx!" Axel cut him off, pushing past him and out of the cell.

As they walked to the front of the jail Axel glanced into every cell, searching for Roxas. Why couldn't he fucking find him? He could feel Demyx still staring at him with concern and he sighed.

Axel led him through signing the bail papers; really, did the guy know how to do _anything_? He asked about his car and was informed that they would transport it back to his apartment complex in a few days.

"It better not have a single fucking scratch on it." Axel threatened, and Demyx gently tugged at his shoulder, bringing Axel's face away from the poor woman sitting at the desk.

Axel felt tempted to ask her about Roxas, but he knew she wouldn't tell him anything. But if he could just know _something…_

* * *

"So why'd you let them hurt you?" Demyx said, eliminating the awkward silence in the car.

Axel looked over at Demyx with an expression that suggested exactly what he was thinking:_ Are you fucking kidding me?_

They had been driving for about an hour in painful silence. Axel leaned against the cold passenger window the whole time, trying to focus on the scenery and not on Roxas. Easier said than done. He felt _so _guilty leaving Roxas behind…but what could he do?

Shit. What was he going to do now…?

Axel could see, out of the corner of his eye, Demyx glancing over at him with worried eyes through out the car ride, still concerned about the man's physical state. He always looked like he was about to say something, then turned away quickly without a word. Axel guessed he had finally gotten the courage to ask him what he'd been wondering.

"I didn't _let_them hurt me, Demyx," He explained slowly, trying to help the dumb blonde to understand. He really wasn't in the mood for this. He had just been torn away from the one person he cared about the most, and it had been his own fault. No good feelings made their way into his being; all he could feel was guilt, shame, anger, and the pain of missing Roxas.

"But-but, why did they do it?" Demyx stammered, almost sounding like he was about to cry.

_Geez, this guy is an even bigger pussy than Riku…_ Axel thought, giving Demyx a weird look. Demyx was acting like he and Axel were actually _close, _which they weren't. They weren't even friends. Why did the guy care about Axel so much?

"They tend to do that to try to get people to confess to things," Axel clarified, rubbing his temple. This guy really was clueless about _everything. Not to mention he's a horrible driver,_ Axel thought when they almost hit a mailbox.

"What did they want you to confess?"

Axel crossed his arms and let out a deep sigh. "A bunch of things. Mainly all things about Roxas."

"Roxas?"

Oh yeah. Axel remembered that he had told Demyx that Roxas's name was 'Tim'. Shit. Yet another thing he had to explain to the guy.

"Roxas is Tim." He said simply.

"Whoaaaaaaaaa!" Demyx gasped, eyes widening. "My brain hurts!" He complained. "So your boyfriend has two names?"

Axel almost smiled at this. He had told Demyx that Roxas was his boyfriend. How ironic.

"No, I lied to you before. His real name is Roxas; Tim was just a fake name."

Demyx drew his brows together in confusion, luckily for Axel still keeping his eyes on the road. "You mean…you _lied _to me?" He asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah." Axel shrugged. "I had to do what I could to protect the kid." And everything he did didn't even matter now…

"What did he do?" Demyx inquired.

"I don't want to talk about it," Axel mumbled, staring out of the window.

"Why'd you help him?" Demyx asked.

"Because." _Shut _up _Demyx!_

"Because you love him?"

"I said I didn't want to talk about!" Axel snapped. "Can't you take a fucking hint?"

Demyx looked over at Axel with watery eyes. "I-I'm sorry." He stammered, adding a little sniff at the end.

Great. Now Axel felt even worse.

* * *

"Come on! Cheer up!" Demyx cried as he jumped onto Axel's bed, causing the red head to sit up abruptly, glaring at the blonde.

"Demyx. That's not going to happen. Don't you understand?" The red head said with an aggravated sigh.

Much to Axel's displeasure, they were still hours away from their apartment complex, so now he and Demyx were staying in a hotel room. Demyx had tried many times to bring a smile to the other's man face, but nothing seemed to work. That didn't mean he was going to give up though.

Demyx pouted and crossed his arms. "Maybe I would understand if you would _tell _me what happened." He huffed.

Axel studied Demyx for a second and then swung his legs over the side of the bed with a sigh. Demyx observed as Axel walked over to the window of the room and slid it open, lighting a cigarette.

Axel took a deep drag and stared at the floor. He messaged his forehead with his opposite hand and took a deep breath.

"Fine. You really wanna know that bad?"

Axel's voice sounded defeated and Demyx sat up straighter, looking at the red head in surprise. He had never seen Axel so…vulnerable before. The past years of living together in the apartment complex he tried desperately to be the man's friend. But Axel would always just turn him away. He had always seemed so tough and apathetic, never really needing anyone. Demyx knew about how Axel didn't even _have_anyone either, except for his dead beat dad who was who knows where.

How did he know? Well, he had gone to high school with Axel. Probably everyone who went to high school with Axel knew the story. Apparently Axel had a very small family; both his parents had been only children so he didn't have any aunts, uncles, or cousins. His grandparents had died when Axel was younger, leaving him just to be his parents. Demyx and Axel had gone through high school in completely different cliques. Axel hung out with the kids in leather jackets who smoked on the corner before school and skipped class. Demyx hung out with the oddballs, all the kids who didn't really fit into a category yet fit with each other somehow.

The funny thing was, Axel and Demyx never spoke a word to each other in high school. They knew each other, since they had a few classes together, but they never really wanted anything to do with the other. Demyx was, quite honestly, afraid of Axel. Axel had been suspended so many times that he was on the brink of being expelled his senior year. He was well known for skipping class and beating the shit out of kids who pissed him off. Demyx did not want to be one of those kids. So he let Axel be.

Near the end of their senior year Axel disappeared from school. Demyx didn't really think much of it, thought that Axel had probably just got suspended or got expelled or something. That was until he had heard the rumors. Axel's parents had gotten divorced in middle school, which had caused Axel's defiance to society, no doubt. So Axel lived with his mom, his dad was "unstable" according to the court's divorce ruling. "Unstable" meaning a drugged up junkie who couldn't get a job.

According to rumor, Axel's mom had died. Demyx didn't know how (he still didn't), but he felt his fear of Axel melt into sympathy. Axel was eighteen, turning 19 in August, so he was left to fend for himself, having to get a full-time job he ended up quitting school in order to support himself. Demyx was such softie, he couldn't help but feel extreme sympathy for the guy. He went through the rest of the year and every once in a while the red head would cross his mind. He couldn't shake his feelings away and finally decided that he wanted to help the guy…somehow.

Demyx had been able to find out where Axel was working, some plant downtown. He found himself driving down and past the plant at different hours at night to see if he could catch sight of Axel. He didn't tell anyone. Something in him just really wanted to help Axel, and then he would move on with his life.

Finally one night he saw a worn-out looking red head approaching a red camaro. Definitely Axel. Demyx remembered taking a deep breath and pulling over, letting out a nervous laugh, "H-hi."

Axel had looked over at him with an expression mixed with weariness and disinterest.

"What do you want?" He asked coldly, digging his keys out of his pocket.

"U-um, I just wanted to let you know that there's an apartment for sale in my family's complex. In case you need somewhere to stay." Demyx explained nervously. The look Axel was giving him made him wish he had never approached the guy. He remembered thinking: _Please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me!_

"This is why you've been stalking me? You want to try to make some money for your _family_?" Axel asked incredulously, crossing him arms and leaning against his car.

Demyx jumped back (as best as he could in a seatbelt) and said hastily, "No! No! U-um, I was just worried, I thought you might need someplace to stay."

Axel glared at him. "So. I guess you know the whole story then. Well, thanks but no thanks." He turned away from Demyx and wrenched his car door open.

"Wait!" Demyx cried before Axel could step into his car. Axel sighed and turned back to him, his shoulders slouched. "What?"

"Here," Demyx held out a little card advertising his family's apartments to Axel, his hand shaking slightly. "Just in case…"

The red head snatched the card from Demyx's hand at looked at it for a few moments before getting into his car without a word and driving away. Demyx groaned and leaned back against his seat. He felt like such and idiot. Axel didn't want his sympathy. And now he probably thought he was some kind of creepy stalker.

But a week or so later, Axel had showed up at the office of the apartment complex. When Demyx saw him he gave the man a hearty smile but Axel had only scowled back. Apparently he couldn't afford his house anymore. Demyx set him up with one of the nicest apartments in the complex and gave him a fair price. When Axel moved in he tried his best to become friends with the red head but Axel was never interested. It had been almost three years now since then and Axel still refused to open up to him. That's why Demyx was so surprised now. He sat forward eagerly in order to listen, gazing up at the man.

The red head glanced sideways at him with a scowl and took another drag on his cigarette before he spoke again…

* * *

Axel rolled over in his bed and reached a hand over to wrap it around Roxas. He was going to pull the boy closer to him and kiss his temple, begging him to give him a backrub, which the boy seemed to have a talent for. The only problem was, Roxas wasn't there. Axel's hand only found cold sheets.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, cursing under his breath. It was the third night that he had spent alone in his apartment; his dreams betraying him by making him believe he was with Roxas again. He glanced around his empty room, the silence pressing down on him. His mind wandered back to his and Roxas's hotel room stay. Roxas had asked him why Axel liked him so much. He found it really odd that Roxas had asked him that. He still wondered why the boy did. He remembered blurting out some answer that sounded really dumb. Talking about how he felt like he somehow knew Roxas before, and how he cared about him more than anyone else.

_I don't know what I would do without you, now._

Wow. Those words had really come back to bite him in the ass. He really didn't know what to do without Roxas now. The thought of the boy brought an empty feeling to his chest and he threw the bed sheets off of himself, walking out of his room. He glanced over to his spare room, where Roxas had slept not long ago.

Axel walked over to his balcony and slid the door open, grabbing his cigarettes from the kitchen table on the way. With some difficulty he ignited his lighter with a shaky hand and lit a cigarette. He leaned onto the railing and looked out at the night life. He tried to focus on the noises of the city but it was no use. He took a long drag and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. When he pulled his hand away he stared at it.

"Fuck…" He muttered to himself, wiping his hand on his pants. He hadn't cried in years…not since his mother. All those years he'd refused to become close to anyone in fear that it would always end the same. He'd done a good job of it too, up until Roxas came around. He cursed himself for letting it happen again. Because once again; he lost the person he cared about the most.

Frantic pounding on his apartment door made him jump and drop his cigarette. He turned around sharply and looked over at the sound, brows drawn together. What the fuck? Who could it possibly be at this hour?

The pounding continued as he approached the door, and he cautiously opened it. As soon as there was enough room for a body to fit through the opening, the person on the other end flung themselves forward and grabbed onto Axel in a tight hug. Axel could only stare down at the person clutching onto himself so tightly for a few moments. His throat seemed to tighten, betraying him by preventing him from being able to speak. His pulse quickened and he drew in a shaky breath before he finally got a hold of himself. He quickly wrapped his arms around the body, pulling it in closer to himself and resting his cheek against their soft hair.

"Roxas." He spoke the boy's name in a whisper that was a mixture between happiness and disbelief. A smile spread across his face for the first time in days. He felt the boy squeeze him even tighter and he closed his eyes, never wanting to let him go.

"Roxas, h-how did you get here?" Axel breathed after they embraced in silence for a minute or so, his breath causing the blonde's hair to stir. "You shouldn't be here…" He realized that part of the bail agreement was that he couldn't be with Roxas without a lawyer or law official present. They could be thrown back in jail just for being together now.

"How could I stay away?" Roxas whispered, his fists tightening their grip on the back of Axel's shirt. "I…" The boy drew in deep breath and pressed his head tighter against Axel's chest.

"I love you."

* * *

**End note: **I know a lot of people like to make Demyx and Axel friends in their fanfics, but I like to stay true to the game. Axel said he didn't like anyone except for Roxas, therefore he does not like Demyx. And the Larxene thing...she totally hits on Axel in the game, but he obviously doesn't like her either.

* * *


	12. Missing You

**Disclaimer: **Me no own.

**Warning: **This chapter contains lemon. I know I said before about how I was uncomfortable writing it, but I ended up getting over that. All of you seem like you are okay with reading it, and it's my first attempt, so...yeah. You have been warned. If you would rather not read it, feel free to skip over it. You'll know when it's happening.

**Author's Note: **So, it has come to my attention that two of my favorite artists from DA read this fic now. I am so amazed, I never thought this fic would go that far. I'm so flattered...

Special thank you's to: **Kive**- for showering me with compliments, reviewing every chapter, and making fanart for me. Holy shit girl. Thanks so much!

**Kuraieshi**- For becoming my amazing beta and for leaving such a nice review and for just plain being an amazing person.

Sorry for the delay in the update, this chapter took me forever (part of the reason was I started on a comedic AkuRoku story...yes this is a shameless advertisement for it xD). I ended up writing five different drafts of this! OTL I do hope you like it though. Also, I'm sorry to say that the humor in this is beginning to diminish because the story is getting quite serious now. There will always be some humor I suppose, because it's pretty much impossible for me not to have some since I'm such a silly person, but not much. That's why I had such an OOC Demyx in the last chapter, for comedy relief. Anyways, this chapter's pretty depressing, if you're in a happy mood, I suggest you hold off from reading it for now. Enjoy.

* * *

**Partners in Crime**

**Chapter Twelve: Missing You**

Roxas shivered for what felt like the hundredth time that night and curled himself up into a tighter ball. Couldn't they give him a blanket or something? He sighed and flipped over onto his other side, trying to get comfortable on the lumpy cot. He looked around his solitary cell, feeling cold and alone. He tried to fool himself into feeling warmth by picturing warm images. _The sun. A beach during the summer. Fire. Axel._

_Axel._

He imagined Axel's arms wrapping around him, the man nuzzling his neck with a soft smile, pulling him closer. Roxas gripped the sheet underneath him as he pretended it was Axel's sleeve. He nuzzled his pillow and tried to remember the scent of Axel, shampoo and cigarettes. He could almost smell it. Almost.

But he could hear Axel's voice perfectly in his mind.

"_You're the first person I have cared about in a long time…"_

Things had happened too soon. Roxas never got to tell Axel how he really felt about him. In a way, they had been foolish, spending more time having fun than being serious. If only they could have had one more day together. What was going to happen now? He had no clue when he would even see Axel again. And the next time he did, it would occur with a lawyer present, no doubt.

And…if Roxas was found guilty at the trial, he would probably never see Axel again. Or not for years on end. And by then Axel would probably have forgotten him, why would he wait for some silly boy who had caused him more trouble than he was worth? He would probably never get the chance to tell Axel how he felt about him. He had had the chance so many times. Why didn't he do it?

Roxas sighed and rubbed his eyes, trying to stop worrying about the same thing he'd been worrying about for the past two days. He had been interrogated, but he didn't give in. The whole time, just thinking about Axel had kept him strong.

All Roxas could do for comfort was pretend that Axel was there with him. It was sad, and maybe even pathetic, but it was the only thing that kept him going. Axel was the only person who could make his worries disappear. Axel was the only good thing he had known for the past few hectic weeks of his life. The man was his only comfort, the only thing he cared about anymore…

"_Hey Roxas, where's that maid outfit? I spent good, hard-earned money on that, you know."_

_They were back in Axel's apartment; Roxas was at the sink, washing the dishes, his hands soapy and wrinkled from the water. Axel practically fell into one of the chairs around the kitchen table, exhausted from work._

"_Keep dreaming, I'm not wearing that thing again." Roxas laughed, not looking away from his work. _

"_Aw…but Roxas, you only have to wear it when I'm around." Axel whined. Roxas could just picture him pouting, giving those puppy dog eyes._

"_No, Axel." Roxas was secretly smirking, but still kept his back turned to Axel, concentrating on washing the dishes._

"_Am I going to have to call the cops on you?" Axel teased. "I'll do it you know. You promised to do whatever I say."_

"_You're so full of bullshit." Roxas told him, shaking his head. "You won't."_

"_I know…" Suddenly Roxas felt Axel's arms wrap around him as the man gave him a gentle hug from behind. Roxas hadn't even heard him get up and come over to him. He felt his heart begin to race wildly. He brought his hands up to hold Axel's arms, the best he could do to return the embrace, and closed his eyes. Axel nuzzled his neck and Roxas could feel his breath brushing lightly against his skin. They embraced in silence, soapy water dripping down both of their arms from Roxas's hands. _

_After a while, Roxas shivered from feeling the water evaporating off of him. He turned around and wrapped his arms around Axel's neck. The man's hair was so long it covered his arms, bringing warmth to them. He stood on his tip toes and gave him a soft kiss, which was happily returned to him. _

"_I love you, even if you are full of bull."_

_Axel smiled against his lips and replied, "I love you, too, but I would even more if you'd just put that outfit on for me again…"_

_Roxas pulled away and shoved him. "Moron." He laughed, before Axel grabbed a hold of him once more and pressed him against the counter in a kiss…_

It was a fake memory, a dream, an unhealthy fantasy. Roxas knew he was weak for needing it, but that didn't stop him from smiling in his sleep…

* * *

"…Mom?" Roxas choked into the mouthpiece of the phone the next day.

"Roxas?…Roxas!" His mother's voice came from across the phone line, filled with disbelief. Roxas felt his throat tighten at hearing it for the first time in weeks.

"Oh my God…" Her voice became quiet and shaky, and Roxas felt guilt wash over him, knowing how worried she must have been all this time. "Roxas, w-where have you been? Oh my God, Roxas…I was so worried about you…you should have come back, do you have any idea how much trouble you've made for yourself by running away? Oh God…I had no idea where you were, you know I still love you, no matter what you do…you should have come home…"

Roxas sighed into the phone, and glanced over at the police officer who was glaring at him. "I know mom…I'm so sorry." He had been such an idiot. One of those kids who thought their life was so horrible just because they didn't have a father figure at home. He'd been so unappreciative of his mother, and snuck out all those nights, doing things he was sure she'd never approve of. He'd always thought she was overprotective and he had just wanted to rebel. Now part of him wished that he had chosen a different lifestyle, while the other was glad of everything he'd done in the past, because he would have never had met Axel if he hadn't murdered Seifer…

"Are you okay, Roxas? Where are you?" His mother asked frantically.

"I'm in Maine…"

There was a brief silence before she asked quietly, "Are you alright? Did you finally escape that man?" Roxas tensed as he realized she was talking about Axel. It was probably all over the news that they were on the run together. It sounded like she thought that Axel had kidnapped Roxas. He gritted his teeth as he realized all the gossip that had probably been spread about them. "Did he hurt you at all? Did he-"

Before she could say anymore Roxas quickly interrupted her. "No, no I'm fine, mom. Look…" He then told her what jail he was in, "The bail is really high mom…I don't think we can afford it…" They had set the bail amount high, hoping the amount would be unaffordable and therefore would keep him in jail.

"How much is it?" She questioned hesitantly. After he told her, she paused, before saying, "Don't worry about it, Roxas. I'll take care of it. I'll come get you."

Roxas opened his mouth to reply when the guard shoved at him with his night stick.

"You've got ten seconds left." He told Roxas impatiently.

_Gee, thanks for the warning. _"I have to go, mom," He said quickly.

"Okay…I'll be there as soon as I can, Roxas." He heard the phone click and stood there waiting until he heard the dial tone, just to be sure that she really was gone. The guard pulled him away from the phone and shoved him back into his cell. He sat down on his bed and ran a shaky hand through his hair. She had sounded so sad when she had hung up…He felt so incredibly guilty. He had left her for weeks, and she had no idea what was going on. First, he was nowhere to be found, because he was hiding out at Axel's apartment. Then, when he and Axel had barely escaped the police, he could only wonder what she had thought. _Shit. _What was he going to tell her about Axel?

* * *

"Roxas!" His mother cried, running forward and wrapping him in a constricting hug. Roxas hugged her back, though not quite as tightly. When he pulled away, he smiled sadly at her and she cupped his face with her hands, tears were streaming down her face. Roxas looked upon her for the first time in weeks. She had the same dirty blonde hair as him, thought it was longer and wavy, and the same blue eyes. A very pretty woman. He had missed her.

"You look terrible…" She breathed, taking in Roxas's shabby appearance. He had bags under his eyes and had lost weight from stress. Not to mention, he had a large bruise on his cheek from when a police officer hit him, trying to get information out of him.

He continued to look at her with that same cheerless smile, "Gee, thanks mom." He was able to produce a small laugh.

She leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek. For some reason it felt so surreal, being with someone he cared for that wasn't Axel. He was glad to see that she was doing okay, to finally see her again was a blessing, but he still felt that emptiness of being without Axel.

Returning home was just as surreal as being with his mother. Roxas stood in the doorway to his room, staring. It was so weird to be back. The ride had been quiet, they had stayed at a hotel room for one night and his mother hinted at wanting to know where he'd been the last few weeks. He chose to ignore it, though it did make him feel guilty. He knew she probably expected the worst about Axel, but how could he tell her the truth? He couldn't even imagine how she would react.

Roxas walked over to his bed and sat down on it, smoothing out the blankets with his hand. It felt so unfamiliar. He had anticipated going home, he really had, and he wasn't going to deny that he had missed it.

He looked up when he heard his mother enter the room, and she walked over and sat down next to him. She wrapped a loving arm around him and he leaned against her and closed his eyes.

"Roxas…I called a lawyer before I left to go get you…" She told him, and he pulled away in order to look at her.

"He just called back," she continued, "and you're going to meet with him in a week…and he plans on meeting with that man you were with as well."

Roxas felt his heart skip a beat and his breath caught in his throat. He was going to meet with a lawyer in a week with Axel?! This meant Axel was okay, and that he most likely got bail! He knew that he had to have been offered it, since Roxas was and Axel's crime was not as serious as his own was. But he didn't know if Axel could afford his, or if he even had anyone who could come and get him out. He felt sudden anxiety wash over him, at the thought that Axel could be so close to him, but yet so far away. He tightened a fist in his bed comforter as he felt himself tense, a million thoughts running through his mind.

"I just need to ask you, Roxas…what…who exactly is he?" His mother asked him hesitantly.

Roxas bit his lip and looked away from her, trying to think of what to say, while also trying to hide his excitement about hearing about Axel. He decided it wouldn't be fair to her, after what he put her through to not tell her now.

"He…his name is Axel, mom." Roxas told her quietly. "And you don't have to worry. He didn't hurt me…he never did anything bad to me…" Roxas trailed off and tried to think of the next best thing to say. "He knew the consequences of what he was doing, but he protected me and took care of me anyways. He's… my best friend, mom."

Roxas took a deep breath and looked back up at her. Everything he had told her was true, and he hoped it was enough of an explanation for her.

She leaned forward and kissed his hair. "Okay," she replied softly. "Okay. That's all I needed to know." She got up and walked out, and Roxas watched her retreating form until she was no longer visible.

Then he got up and began to pace around his room. He was going to see Axel in a week. Just one week. He wondered where Axel was right now. He could picture him almost perfectly in his mind. His heart was pounding. He didn't know how he could possibly wait that long. How could he possibly sit at home, spending a week alone and in anticipation? Just being without Axel for a few days was driving him crazy enough. No, Roxas wanted, needed, _had_ to know if he was okay, and he couldn't possibly wait that long.

All he wanted was to be back with Axel, and he didn't care about anything else. Without him, it was like half of him was gone, there was emptiness. And it was like he didn't know anything at all, anymore.

Roxas quickly turned and walked over to his door, leaning out to look down the hallway. He bit his lip and tapped on the doorframe nervously, seeing his mom sitting at the dining room table, shuffling through papers.

"Hey, mom…" He called out to her.

She looked up in surprise and smiled at him, making him feel even more guilty about what he was about to do.

"I'm going to go to bed, okay?" Roxas lied. "I really need to get some decent sleep…"

She nodded at him and replied, "Alright then, I won't bother you."

Roxas gave her a small smile before closing his door. He sighed and leaned against the door for a second, running a hand through his hair. He couldn't believe he was about to do this.

He made his way over to his closet and grabbed some pillows and things that he kept in there. He pulled back his bed covers and set up the pillows to look like a body, then covered it up. He stepped back to admire his work. Wow. This really brought back memories. He used to do this all the time when he snuck out at night, knowing his mother liked to open his door at night just to check to see if he was sleeping. He felt that guilt of being unappreciative of her wash over him again, but he had to do this. Otherwise, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

He unlatched his window with a shaking hand, took a deep breath, and jumped out into the night.

Because it was just him and his mom, they lived in a small, inexpensive condo close to the city life. This had always been useful to Roxas in the past, because it wasn't too long of a walk until he arrived on the main street, where the clubs and subway were. It was even more useful now, as Roxas ran as fast as he could towards the inner city. It was late, so the busses were no longer running, but he could take the subway to the other side of the city.

When he finally boarded the subway he slumped down in one of the seats, panting and wiping sweat from his brow. His heart was pounding from the rush of sneaking out, a rush he used to long for but rather would not have now. It also raced from the anticipation of making it to his destination. He leaned against the cold window and closed his eyes, seeing flashes of lights underneath his eyelids, as they passed. He jiggled his leg nervously the whole way, anticipating when the subway would finally stop.

When it finally did he bolted upright and ran, pushing past the tired looking people in the way. When he reached the city street, he glanced around, before he remembered what direction it was that he needed to go, everything passing by him in a blur.

When he arrived at Axel's apartment complex, he had to stop and bend over, using his knees for support. He was panting, and he swallowed, cursing his body for causing him to stop now. He had no idea if Axel would be there, he had no idea what to expect, but he had to do this. Roxas leaned against the building and wiped sweat from his brow. He was so nervous, he was shaking. He was terrified of entering the building, but at the same time he wanted to more than anything else. He was afraid that Axel wouldn't be there, afraid that someone would see him. But there was no way in hell he was turning back now.

When Roxas made it to Axel's door, he pounded on it frantically, not being able to wait any longer. _Please be there…_Roxas begged in his mind. He needed to see him so desperately, if he could just one last time, he'd be able to tell him how he felt about him and to see if he was okay. When no one answered the door, Roxas felt tears come to his eyes and pounded even harder, taking out his frustration and anxiety on the door. _He has to be here, he's got to be. Please._

Just when the he was about to give up, the door opened, and he flung himself through, frantic to be with the person on the other side. As soon as he saw Axel he threw his arms around him and buried his face into his chest. Oh God. This was real. Finally, they were together again.

Axel didn't react, and Roxas almost felt his heart break right there. Shit. He shouldn't have come. He should have realized that after all the trouble he caused him; Axel wouldn't want to be with him anymore.

Then Axel wrapped his arms around him and hugged him back just as tightly, and Roxas felt him rest his head against his own. Roxas smiled and the tears he was holding back fell down his cheeks.

"Roxas…" Axel breathed, and Roxas felt all his fears wash away, the way they always seemed to when he was with Axel. Roxas couldn't speak, he just held onto Axel. He could feel the other man's heart pounding, and it was the most real thing he had experienced in days. More real than jail, seeing his mother, and returning home.

"Roxas, h-how did you get here?" Axel finally asked softly from above him. "You shouldn't be here…"

"How could I stay away?" Roxas asked him, clutching the back of Axel's shirt tighter in his hands. "I…" He took a deep breath. He had to tell him. This could his last chance, the only time he would ever be alone with Axel again. He cared about Axel so much. He had basically ruined the man's entire life, and got him arrested. But Axel did so much for him, and he admitted many times to really caring about Roxas. It was now or never.

"I love you."

He didn't even care if Axel loved him too. Just as long as Axel knew that he loved him, it was enough. Axel liked to act like he was tough and apathetic, but he was the one person who had shown Roxas the most kindness in his life, and he was the least selfish person Roxas knew. The only thing Roxas could do in return was love him.

Axel pulled away from him and tipped Roxas's chin up with one finger. Roxas gazed into his face, a stray tear running slowly down his cheek. Axel stared straight into his eyes, wiping the tear away from Roxas's face with his thumb, and Roxas felt the whole world around him melt away. It felt like it was just the two of them, no one else existed, and no one else mattered. Axel leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, and Roxas forgot all about how they were forbidden to be alone together. When Axel released his lips, he pulled back only by a few inches, looking into his eyes again.

"I love you, too."

Roxas stood on his toes and kissed Axel desperately; overwhelmed by the fact that Axel told him that he loved him back. He wrapped his arms around the other man's neck but Axel pulled away in order to close the apartment door. Then he lifted Roxas up wordlessly and Roxas wrapped his legs around Axel's waist for support. Once they reached Axel's room they fell upon the bed and continued kissing. Although they had only been apart for a few days, they felt the need to touch and hold each other so badly. Even as they removed each other's clothes, pressing their bodies together and kissing frantically, they couldn't get enough of each other. No words needed to be exchanged, until all articles of clothing were discarded, and Axel moved back and shifted Roxas's legs apart slightly. Axel asked him breathlessly if he was ready, and Roxas nodded silently. Axel placed warm kisses along Roxas's neck as he slowly pressed himself into Roxas, and they both gasped. Axel didn't move until Roxas relaxed, who pulled the redhead's face back to his own in order to kiss him. Then Axel began to move inside of him, causing Roxas to moan softly. He lifted his hips up to meet with Axel's thrusts, and they both moved slowly together. Roxas tangled his fingers in Axel's hair and Axel moaned his name with hot breath into his neck. They continued to make love slowly and passionately, Axel never went in deep enough to cause Roxas to cry out, but he did take the boy's length in his hand and pumped in time with his own movements. Roxas arched up against him and Axel took some of the blonde locks in his other hand, supporting himself with just one elbow. Roxas let out one last moan when he came and could feel Axel trembling on top of him before he did as well.

Axel rolled off of him and wrapped one arm around Roxas, pulling the boy into his chest. Roxas rested his cheek against his bare skin, panting only slightly, comforted by Axel's chest rising up and down. Roxas wrapped his free arm around Axel's waist and closed his eyes, feeling at peace for the first time in days…

* * *

"You're crazy for coming back to me, you know that right?" Axel asked him that morning, after they had explained to each other what had happened during their time apart. Roxas had been horrified when he had learned about what Larxene did to him, and he'd only been able to find out because of the still obvious bruises on the man's body.

"You're the one who makes me crazy." Roxas replied. They were both standing at the doorway, tense. It was time for Roxas to leave. He had to return home before his mother woke up and saw that he was gone. They had both woken up early to make sure that Roxas could make it back in time. Both didn't want to be apart again, but they knew it was for the best. It would be idiotic if Roxas stayed, and they both knew it. That didn't make parting ways any easier, though.

Axel laughed lightly and kissed him softly. Roxas looked up at him and murmured quietly, "I don't want to go back…"

Axel ran a hand along his cheek and told him, "You know I don't want you to either, but you have to. If you don't, it'll just make more trouble for the both of us. And we've already been the biggest pair of idiots in the world, it's about time we learned our lesson." It was hard for Axel to say, he wanted to beg Roxas to stay, but he knew that he really couldn't let him. If Roxas's mom awoke to find her son gone and called the police, Roxas could be put behind bars again, and not allowed out until his trial.

"I'll come back tomorrow." Roxas promised him. Axel smiled at him reassuringly, but there was sadness in his eyes.

"I can't let you do that, Roxas."

Roxas blinked at him, confused and hurt. "Why not?"

Axel looked away from him, "We're already risking so much being together now. What if we get caught?"

Roxas knew Axel was right, as hard as it was for him to admit. It would be stupid to attempt this again…They were so lucky that no one saw Roxas in the building, who knows if fortune would smile upon them again?

Roxas sighed and fell forward against Axel's chest, embracing him. "What if this really is the last time we'll ever be alone together?"

Axel held him in his arms tenderly and told him, "It won't be. No matter what happens…no matter what is decided for us…I'll wait for you. I promise."

Roxas drew back and pulled Axel down into one last, breathtaking kiss before he turned around quickly and left the apartment, running down the hallway. He didn't look back, for if he did, he knew there was no way he could ever force himself to leave.

* * *

**End note: **Go ahead and take your guesses at who the lawyer will be, it's probably easy xD Next update may not be for a while...there's a lot of legal stuff I have to research for the next chapter.

**This story is currently on hiatus. **It will most likely not be continued, as my interests have changed and my writing has changed drastically. Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing though! I really appreciate it!


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